La Fusión: Susana Cook and Friends at Dixon Place

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2. La Fusión: Susana Cook and Friends

La Fusión is a raucous cabaret that brings together such legendary downtown performers as Flamenco dancer Maria Elena Anaya, Star of the screen and stage Lisa Haas, Comedian Moira Cutler, Afro-dancer Simba Yangala, Performance artists Felice Shays and Alexandra Pinel, Drag King Mistah Coles and the inimitable Susana Cook.

Susana Cook is a playwright, director and performer from Buenos Aires, Argentina based in New York City since 1992. She’s the author of downtown classics Dykenstein, Hamletango, 100 Years of Attitude, Non-Consensual Relationships with Ghosts, Run! it’s getting ugly, 100 years of attitude and Conversations with Humans. She performed in most of her shows with some of the women performing tonight at the La Fusion Cabaret. Tonight it’s a special reunion. 

Lisa Haas is a writer and actor working in film, television, and, her all time fav: Downtown Theatre! She writes for the narrative comedy podcast “IN HEAT” and is excited to invite you to listen on Apple Podcasts or ANYwhere you stream your pods. 

Born in Mexico City, Maria Elena Anaya trained in Spanish dance, ballet, modern dance, flamenco, piano and acting. She studied with Oscar Tarriba and the legendary Manolo Vargas. She has trained in Spain with prominent dance figures such as Mario Maya, Carmen Mora,Ursula y Tamara Lopez among others. She has performed in most important theaters in Mexico like Palacio de Bellas Artes, Teatro de la Danza and Sala Miguel Covarrubias. In New York City she has performed at the Joyce Theater, WOW Café, the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, La MaMa ETC and Dixon Place. She has served as a teacher and choreographer at the National Dance School of Mexico City for nearly 30 years. In 1990, the House of Andalusia in Mexico honored her with the highest prize that institution confers, ‘La Castañuela de Plata’. Among her many awards, the National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature awarded her with the 2011 medal “A Life in Dance” in recognition ‘for her outstanding career and invaluable contribution to dance.

Felice Shays throws her body around. On the stage, in the sheets, in the streets. She has written and performed one-woman shows: Felice Brutality, Jew Hungry?, PsychoSemitic, and The Temporary Flesh. She’s featured in the films of Diane Bonder, sang with the band Adult Children of Heterosexuals, joyously messed with the heads of thousands of people as Valerie Solanas in Killjoy’s Kastle in Toronto, LA, + Philadelphia. Shays is a proud member of Susana Cook’s glorious queer theatrical family, and is involved in a film project featuring Samantha Nye, Penny Arcade, and Peaches.

Felice will drive a V8 again sometime. She crashed her motorcycle twice. She teaches sex and BDSM – helping people how to love and hurt each other, and, as an ASL interpreter, Felice maneuvers between cultures and languages, often with people who don’t necessarily want to talk to each other.

Simba Sandra Yangala is a happy choreographer, dancer, chantress and progressive educator who speaks more than three languages. She is the Artistic Director of JungleDom Network, through which she has produced many dance theater works. Her first off-Broadway production at Dixon Place, The Little Refugee From Zaire, was supported by a Franklin Furnace commission with a cast of 16 performers. Shortly thereafter, she established the Kamutshima Dance Troupe.

Alexandra Pinel is a choreographer and performer from Paris, France and has showcased work in DC at the Capitol Hill Arts Blackbox, in New York at The Brick Theater, the House of Scandinavia, Sofar Sounds, Brooklyn Arts Exchange among others and at the University of Santiago, Chile. Her dance films have been shown on NPR Radio’s Blog for the anniversary of the Rite of Spring, at Dance Film Association Screenings and at the House of Scandinavia. She has choreographed music videos for Chinese band Re-TROS and Prince Rama and is a Luther Rice Research Fellow and Maida Withers Dance Construction Company Award Recipient for Innovation in Dance. Alexandra has collaborated as a producer and performer with artists luciana achugar, Susana Cook, Tina Satter and Kim Brandt among others.

Moira Cutler is a Playwright/Actor/Director and Stand-up Comedian. She has been working with Susana Cook for the last 20 years and has been in productions at WOW Cafe Theater, BAAD, Dixon Place, LaMama, Joes Pub and Jack. She’s thrilled to be back onstage at Dixon Place for the first time post covid pandemic.

Mistah Coles, playwright, filmmaker, director, actor, drag king, tenor singer, WOW Cafe Theater member, Lavender Light Gospel Choir, Coming To The Table NY Metro Group Co-Facilitator, produced “What’s Up My Madibaz?”, short educational film about getting rid of the N-word, and is a proud, black, gay septuagenarian!