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TDR: The Drama Review, Volume 59, Number 4, Winter 2015 (T228), pp. 101-116 (Article)

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For additional information about this article http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/tdr/summary/v059/59.4.osterweis.html

Access provided by Skidmore College (7 Dec 2015 18:35 GMT) Public Pubic Narcissister’s Performance of Race, Disavowal, and Aspiration Ariel Osterweis

While spending some time during the winter of 1801 in M., one evening in the public gardens I chanced upon Herr C., who had been recently engaged as the leading dancer at the opera house and who had found exceptional success with the public there. I mentioned how surprised I had been to notice him on several occasions attending a marionette theatre that had been set up in the local market place, which entertained the masses with short dramatic burlesques interspersed with song and dance. He assured me that the performance of these puppets was a source of great pleasure to him, and he made it quite clear that a dancer who wished to improve himself could learn a great deal from observing them. — Heinrich von Kleist ([1810] 1972:22)

By performing striptease and its reversal, Narcissister takes on roles such as Angela Davis, Marie Antoinette, Josephine Baker, Whitney Houston, a mammy, and a trucker, fluidly slip- ping between iconicity and stereotype, celebration and degradation. Her constant movement from persona to persona brings attention to the centrality of mutability in the performance of identity; in the end, Narcissister is you. Only ever appearing in a mask, Narcissister is, in turn,

TDR: The Drama Review 59:4 (T228) Winter 2015. ©2015 New York University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology 101 102 Ariel Osterweis nate imaginaryfortheracializedandgendered “American” body. black women. Narcissister’saestheticofdramaturgicaldisavowalultimatelyperformsanalter disavowal on video, andinherperformancespublicspacessheengageswhatIamcallingtheactive through otherswhoareinvitedtodonhermasksineverydaylife. Inherlivetheatricalshows, formance art, dance, visualart, andactivism, Narcissisterperformsasbothasoloartistand a performer, acharacter, acaricature, anidentity, andafaçade. Inworkthatcallsuponper often got this feedback from teachers: ‘Open your eyes!’ They wanted me to be expressive with my face. But I It wasveryprivateforme, andIwantedtodancewithmyeyesclosed.” as adancer, Ilovedthefeelingofdanceinmybodyandmoving to music[...]. Alvin Ailey American DanceCenter(AAADC)inNew York. Shetellsme, “When Iwastraining she alsoembarkedonmoderndancetraining. After graduating, Narcissisterenrolledatthe interest invisualartpractices. Shetookup African American studiesatBrownUniversitywhere Raised inSanDiego, California, inanacademic, mixed-racefamily, Narcissisterhadanearly Background, UpsideDown and She dancedwithComplexions,Mia Michaels, andHeidi Latsky, andisdramaturgforJohn Jasperse University Press, 2014), e-misférica, disavows virtuosity. Publications appearinDance Research Journal, Women andPerformance, researches Sub-Saharan that Africandanceandmixed-race, feminist, andtransgenderperformance Richardson andthePolitics ofRace,Gender, and Dance, shealso inContemporary Virtuosity in Performance Studies atUCBerkeley. At work onhermonograph BodyImpossible: Desmond Ariel Osterweis is Visiting Professor Assistant ofDance atSkidmore herPhD College andearned Figure 1. (previous page) Embracing aDIYapproach, Narcissisterappropriatesbothmaterialandimage. Justasshecon- phy sheinterjectsisgivenabackseattothe “lowbrow” spectacleofthewrithing, exposedbody. ture theotherwisegradualtitillationofstripteaseperformance, andthe “high art” choreogra- her exploitationoftechniqueandability. Virtuosic momentsofdanceandextremeyogarup- readings ofherworkarebothenlivenedandobstructedbystylisticquick-changes of thematerialist “bling” thatcomestocoverNarcissister’sbody. Every Woman,” creatingajuxtapositionbetweenthelyrics “I’ll doitnaturally” andtheartifice emerge fromherwig. donning stockings, gloves, atubetop, andskirt, andaccessorizingwithapursepumpsthat exaggerated Afro wig)andpullsitemsofclothingouthermouth, vagina, andanus, eventually us throughareversestripteaseinwhichNarcissisterbeginsnude(savehermask, merkin, and vision. Forexample, herliveperformance(alsoavideoartpiece)Every Woman (2010)takes burlesque clubsandexperimentaldancevenuesaswellingalleriesonmainstreamtele- and betweengenres, sheperformsattheintersectionofmultiplestyles, findingaudiencesat 2. 1.

Narcissister’s aestheticisbuiltuponracializedinscriptionsontothebody, andsubsequent nography and burlesque performance, two of the variousnography and burlesque performance, genres Narcissister straddles. pubic area affected by the hairlessness of venereal disease. Merkins have also been historically fetishized in por- A rience” (Narcissister 2012). really had no interest in that. I was feeling it so much in my body and I wanted to just concentrate on that expe- “I Narcissister’s artworkisinformedbytheliminalitythathasshapedherlife. Betweenraces

Narcissister. merkin is a vagina wig of majoritarianmodesperformance(especiallydance-basedvirtuosity)expected Theatre Survey, Oxford The Handbookof Danceandthe PopularScreen (Oxford 2 This efficientdanceisaccompaniedbyChakaKhan’s1978anthem “I’m This Masquerade, The Kitchen, New York, of 2010. (Courtesy Narcissister) and

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itself Choreographies of21stCentury Wars (Oxford University Press, 2016) . a kind of mask. Merkins emerged as a way for prostitutes and others to mask a 1 - - Narcissister 103 2010. (Photo by by (Photo 2010. Woman, Every , 2010 (studio image). (Courtesyimage). (studio 2010 Dollhouse, Narcissister) of The Figure 3. Figure Figure 2. Narcissister, Narcissister, 2. Figure Tony Stamolis) - - - Such In “topsy- 3 in 2011 where Uncle Tom’s using Cabin, Uncle Tom’s N feats. awe-inspiring physically baffling, Narcissister’s on focus Narcissister famously per

3. ­lingerie-clad adult doll. turvy” fashion, the image of fashion, turvy” a childlike doll gives way to a who judges, show’s the by go overlooked to seem references charged racially and evertheless,historically such ing out of her crotch. This lower ing out of her crotch. head becomes apparent when Narcissister inverts herself into handstands and her ruffled dress and petticoats fall upside down. Jumping onto the roof of her doll- handmade larger-than-life Topsy she portrays the house, character from Harriet Beecher Stowe’s humor to point to the racialized and gendered horrors that are part of US history. ­mannequin-like plastic masks on the front and back of her head and has a large doll head com formed her piece The Dollhouse TV show America’s on the Got Talent she danced to Diana Ross’s In “Upside Down.” song, Narcissister wears this piece, formance settings that lie on formance settings that modes the fringes of capitalist of commodity circulation. imagery is While Narcissister’s indebted to the prescriptions of anti-feminist capitalist culture, her scavenging and insistence on recycling are a radical avoidance of replication. structs her own sets and cos- structs her of scavenged fabrics, tumes out her appearance she constructs and over- from commodified images of femininity rehearsed Topsy. as Barbie and as familiar - she recontextual In doing so, associated izes images typically gaze and with the objectifying of capital- commodity fetishism with femi- imbuing them ism, them nist resonance by placing per reflexive in experimental, 104 Ariel Osterweis Figure 4. The Basket, 2013. Video of Narcissister) still. (Courtesy stripped downtoamerkinand thefake–Louis Vuitton bra littered withmetalliclogos. ing. Regardlessofrace, Narcissister’swomen-selvesaresubjectedtobasketholding, evenonce She holdsthebasketatopherhead andalsoplacesitonthegroundasareceptacleforcloth - mask ofamammy, doing chorestoNinaSimone’spainedrenditionof “Wild isthe Wind.” the basketholder:shedoeslaundry andfolkdancesinawhitemaskthatgiveswaytotheblack space ofperceivingthedegreetruthinherenttoanystereotype. InTheBasket, Narcissister is and ourdesiretodismantletheirhold. weavers); atthesametime, wefindimagesofthefeminization ofbasketsinmanycultures. women). There isanuncomfortabletingetothe stereotypeofwomenasbasketholders(and der rolesinprimitivesociety(Clastressaidthatmenwhocarried basketsmetaphoricallybecame criticize thislimitedviewsinceitfailstoacknowledgethepossibility ofqueerortrans*gen- for huntingandwomenhandledbasketsgathering(Clastres [1966]1989). Queertheorists and womeninprimitiveGuayaki(Aché)Indiansocietytobows andbaskets:menhandledbows nomic relations, structuralanthropologistPierreClastres reducedthedivisionbetweenmen impelled tobelieveinautopicfluidityofidentity. on wearingamaskengageinstabilitytoperformtransgressivemagic, oneinwhichweare of sourcematerial, butinhermutability. Hercompulsivecostumechangesandherinsistence year Kim’ssong “How ManyLicks” debuted), Narcissisterisafrofuturistnotinherchoices millennial hiphop America. Becausehertimelineseemstoterminatewiththeyear2000(the a tripfrompre-WWIIEasternEuropeanfolkdancetotheblinged-outsexualityofLilKim’s race feminism. Drawingfromherfamilyheritage, Narcissister’sscavengedimagerytakesuson combination ofperformanceandvisualart. Narcissister juxtaposesthedisparatetemporalitiesandvisualitiesavailabletoherthrougha umentation ofthatperformance, itisanarchiveofanothersort, asimultaneousweavingand Josef Kraska, basedonNarcissister’sperformancepieceofthesametitle. Notmerelyadoc- victimization, ontheother. multiplied imagerywithinNarcissister’spiecessuggestssex-positivism, ontheonehand, and Narcissister’s oeuvredependsontherecognitionofstereotypes Ever onetotrytakedowntheMarxisttheoristswhoinsist that societyisdefinedbyeco- These juxtapositionscomprisethemelancholicmash-upofNarcissister’spost-soul, mixed- Epitomizing Narcissister’srepertoire, The Moreover, shesituates usasviewerswithinthatshameful Basket (2013)isafive-minutevideodirectedby century American livingroom), European forest, aposh19th- drops oflosttimes(abucolic against variouspaintedback- layers ofclothinginrealtime choreographic. Bypeelingoff imaginative, textual, musical, and temporalities ematic timeweavesmultiple ing image, TheBasket’s cin- Vuitton bra. Boundtothemov- ping downtoashinyredLouis in turn, findsherselfstrip- American mammyfigurewho, woman morphsintoan African tures: anEasternEuropean The Basket crisscrossescul- of thisfive-minutejourney, unweaving. Duringthecourse

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both ourbeliefinthem

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historiographic, Narcissister 105 calls this time “how many asking,

not that of the dancer

— calls to change,

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is interrupted by another ring, is interrupted by another

; rather, her relationship to clothing and her relationship to ; rather, —

nakedness , Narcissister’s flow is interrupted by calls flow is interrupted Narcissister’s , The Basket Throughout Throughout For Agamben, nudity, or the infinite event that marks the irreversibility of the origi- or the infinite nudity, Agamben, For is [...] the paradigm for our rela- of nakedness, the impossibility that is to say, Striptease, as a form that never reaches its completed form, As an event that tionship with nudity. infinite: it never literally, nudity is, does not allow itself to be entirely seized as it occurs, (2010:65) stops occurring. from home, calls from the unconscious, calls from the future... She answers a series of old answers a series of She the future... calls from calls from the unconscious, from home, her Narcissister answers a phone rings, Every time baskets. buried in laundry school phones with one Narcissister by a split screen, future selves are indicated and her present and own call, a evoking blurred, of the video frame are (The edges right. and another on the on the left cords conjure umbilical curly rotary phone within the basket, Pulled from decaying filmstrip.) answering a clunky first- with this generation of telephones upon cords; she does away anthem Lil Kim’s confident cunnilingual Finally, generation cellphone. you get to the center of the?” licks does it take till the sound of a more recent cellphone. Narcissister’s hand (one presumably practiced in acts of Narcissister’s hand (one recent cellphone. the sound of a more Narcissister brings the phone to to remove a cellphone from her pussy. self-care) reaches down head, with dangling phone cords atop her pivots around to reveal a basket overflowing her ear, she saunters upstage in and unhurried, At once deliberate this final call. and inaudibly answers all while balancing her precarious her bare ass shifting from left to right, beat-up yellow pumps, feminine in the face of the impene- the penetrability of the the abject, Here we consider load. As her subject con- of the mask. ever hidden by the static façade gaze, trability of Narcissister’s when it how the object will speak, we are left to wonder when and sumes and ejects its object, even human. will become thing-y, skin is that of a stripper in popular burlesque performance, one who appropriates dance and the one who appropriates performance, skin is that of a stripper in popular burlesque . Agamben calls an aesthetics of nudity maintaining what Giorgio dancer’s body, finds its most fitting paradigm “corporeal nakedness,” nal sin that rendered impossible pure in striptease: striptease’s reliance on the materiality of the Maintaining an active relationship to clothing, object reminds us that the undressed body doesn’t necessarily grant us access to corporeal striptease’s location Moreover, the purity of God’s grace). Agamben refers to as nakedness (what dance (from and sex is a far cry from most concert commodity, at the intersection of the body, preoccupied content the mainstream to the experimental) and its impulse to reveal subjectivity, Narcissister extends the stripper’s reliance on or the emotional. the internal, with the conscious, clothing’s objecthood by insisting on the mask and the merkin. in a concert setting laboring toward a bare in a concert setting laboring toward a bare Striptease and Mutability who rec- Harrell, Trajal I was introduced to Narcissister over email by dance-maker In 2010, a bit hesitant to I was While intrigued, dramaturg. ommended my services as a performance that dance and performance dramaturgy in the early 2000s had given my feeling meet with her, that at the Workshop Theater Dance York’s New resulted in performances at venues such as remove lay- walk around, “let’s put on layers and layers of clothing, time I referred to as the Narcissister Perhaps it was because series. and slither around naked” ers and layers of clothing, (and not a choreographer) that I decided to meet was introduced to me as a performance artist City, York New When Narcissister and I got together one afternoon in downtown with her. This connection and reintroduc- Ailey. together at we realized we had studied modern dance body in contexts not typically reserved for dance. tion allowed me to reimagine the dancing with a performer who indeed dons and removes layers I now find myself working Ironically, most appealing to me about this endeavor is that Yet upon layers of clothing for her audiences. are of a different order Narcissister’s striptease and reverse striptease 106 Ariel Osterweis By wearing writes Bennett, kind ofremnantculture Bennett’s vitalmaterialisttheoryof “thing-power.” ForBennett, Kafka’sOdradekfunctions asa mance iswhatdistinguishesanobjectfromathing” (2011:74), anideathatgesturestowardJane Performing American ChildhoodfromSlavery toCivilRights, RobinBernsteinassertsthat “perfor forms withoutmaskandmerkin, thingsthathauntevenintheirpresence.Racial Innocence: In ity, theimpossibilityofcorporealnakedness. And withoutexception, Narcissisterneverper even whenapieceofclothingisremoved, itleavesatrace, areminderofnudity’sinfinitequal- concert dancer various shadesrangingfromcreamtodarkbrown). Likeastripper legibility inheruseoflighting, costuming, andmultiplemasktones(includingtransparent of mixedheritage. While herskintendstobereadasblack, sheplayswiththelimitsofracial (arm movement)evocativeofballet. Narcissisterisanimatedbyan African American performer pet, she, inturn, surpriseswiththesinewofayogacontortionorfluidlymuscularportdebras animate andinanimate, thehumanandmechanical. Appearing uncannilylikeadollorpup- Narcissister insistsuponaparticulartypeofcorporeality, onethatrestssomewherebetweenthe whereas mutabilityandvirtuositybelongtothedomainofcorporeal. matter howbare. Subjectivityandcharismaarediscernedmadelegiblethroughtheface, dered impossiblewithinthecontextofhighlycommoditizedtropesfemininebody, no artificial, exemplifyingthetensioncentraltoNarcissister’simage; “corporealnakedness” isren- (un)coverings ofthebody. The merkinissimultaneouslyanexaggerationofthenaturaland beneath thecovering)andasadeterrent, onethatshiftsourfocusinsteadtotheactionsand movement qualityandchoreography. The maskfunctionsbothasatemptation(toseektheface critical ferentiating. Instead, sheurgesustoreconsiderourwaysofseeingandsensing toaccountfor cially atthelevelofvisible (skin color), andthisallocationofvisibilityisbothstatic anddif- render visibleotherwise “invisible” African American subjectivity havebeenoperatingsuperfi- cratic recognitionandcivilimagination” (2008:68). Chengsuggeststhatcivilrights effortsto cation ofvisibility, that constitutesoneofthemostprofoundchallengesfor American demo- fetishistic anddemocraticrecognitionshare. And itisthecrisisofvisuality, ratherthantheallo- nature ofidentity. Chengwrites, “There isapredicamentofembodimentandvisualitythat manipulation ofsurfaceatthelevelcostumeandskin. Sheexaggeratestheunreliable, mobile performance. Narcissister’sdressingandundressingis a hyperbolicperformanceofBaker’s Anlin Chengsuggeststhatsurfaceperforms, andsheexamines thewayskinparticipatesinsuch role ascentralherquiveringquadricepsorcontractedbuttocks? seemingly soloperformancesareinfactduets, trios, andquartets(xiii). Doesher Afro wigplaya ality andinsistsonthepoliticalpotentialofthingsopensuppossibilitythatNarcissister’s power thanasovereigntythatholdsinitsgrasp. That Bennettlinksaffectwithmateri- in chargeoftheworld,” Narcissister’splay onnarcissismpointsmoretoaspirationtoward humans inchargeoftheworld” (xvi;emphasisadded). Farfromfittingtheprofileof a “human idea thathumanagencyhassomeechoesinnonhumannature inversion ofterms, Bennettarguesthat, “We needtocultivateabitofanthropomorphism challenge toBennett’sparticularconceptofthevibrant “thing.” Inaninadvertentlycoincidental thing formerlyknownasanobject. (2010:xvi) of ourownexperience. [...]Ipresentthisasalivelinessintrinsictothematerialityof as objectsandtomanifesttracesofindependenceoraliveness, constitutingtheoutside gestures towardthestrangeabilityofordinary, man-madeitemstoexceedtheirstatus Both inheruseofobjectsandthemannerwhichshealmostrendersherselfanobject, For Narcissister, surfaceisalwayssupplementedby In herreadingofJosephineBaker’smodernistspectaclesinphotography andonfilm, Anne visuality asapracticeof engagingwithsurfacesinmotion thatmayexceedtheimme -

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and oftenpresentingherselfas

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Narcissister drawstheaudience’sfocustosurfaceandgenitalia,

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neither subjectnorobject,

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“man-made items,

— animateorinanimate. “Thing-power,”

and evenbecomes

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to counterthe ” Narcissisteroffersamobile

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in contrasttothetypical

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material narcissism of asopposedto thing

— - ;

the - Narcissister 107 a virtuosity that does not

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, 2008. (Courtesy2008. , Narcissister) of Woman Every Figure 5. Figure gender, or national differences, but that, counterintuitively, counterintuitively, but that, or national differences, gender, - . Narcissister’s Narcissister’s visible. : “The metaphor of bare : The distinction between the organic and the synthetic blurs in such a way as to render The distinction between the organic and skin on which Is the fabric or animal surrogate [...]. and prop, Baker’s skin itself costume, companion? [...This] effect [...] has to she leans extraneous ornamentation or ontological the inabil- “ontology of modern objects,” do with what Bill Brown calls the indeterminate (60) ity to fully separate the animate from the inanimate. According to Cheng, racial to Cheng, According contin- Racial fetishism [...] ues to inform contemporary in American racial dynamics egregious from various ways, legal racial stereotyping in cul- and popular commodity tures to the different though equally troubling effects of in which an identity politics, affirmative political or social identity often seems to reas- sert the stereotype it was meant to rectify in the first (38) place. allow Baker to transcend racial, renders organic Woman Narcissister’s Every “I’ll do it naturally,” While danced to the lyrics more the otherwise ornamental; she structures the piece such that the audience wants nothing how else is After all, than for her to don the glittery gold belt that emerges from her mouth. That wig? Her thin physique begs for supplementation. Afro Narcissister to offset her bulbous meant to titillate at the crossroads of racial and sex- while Baker’s breasts are often exposed, one at once comfort- to cultural (French) context, can be partially attributed ual fetishism, plays within this space too, Narcissister, able with exposed skin and with colonial exploitation. of sex- of simultaneous objectification and agency: her criticality is founded upon spectacles “The only authentic thing we “mobile outline”: as a Cheng refers to skin in motion ual excess. can locate in [Baker’s] performance is the virtuosity of movement diately and inadver project inherently skin thus comes to stand in for the materiality of exposed flesh” Agamben’s with resonates “nakedness never stands alone” Cheng’s statement that Baker’s (60). erosion of the One of Cheng’s most provocative arguments marks the discussion of nudity (60). In its sheen costume and surface quality. distinction between Baker’s skin and its ornamental Baker’s skin is at once her own and extraneous; it is its own supplement: and gloss, tently enlivens Cheng’s call for Cheng’s call for tently enlivens critical visuality. a mode fetishism employs sim- of partial recognition of ilar to the concealment with labor that Marx identifies commodity fetishism: Cheng brings flesh into her study of surface in relation to the 1935 Baker film Princesse Tam Ta m 108 Ariel Osterweis able ing blackbodyintoaccount, itwouldseemthatlaboroccursinthedomainofexploit- For Spillers, exploitationoftheblackbodyoccursatlevelflesh. Taking thedanc- flesh comesbeforethebody: style that performanceingeneral(andthusidentity)generatesitsontologythroughthemutabilityof by merelycitingvirtuosicdanceandjoiningitwithperformanceartburlesque, shesuggests By activelydisavowingdance, Narcissistertakesdance’sontologicalparadigmonestepfurther: to combatsuchexclusionarytacticsbynarratingafigure’ssingularsubjectivitybasedonsurface. tests bothdiscriminatoryracialreadingsofsurfaceascolorwellstudiesthatattempt its beingthroughthedonningandsheddingofmultiplestyles be structuredthroughamutabilityofform of skincolorthanwiththevisualitystyle” serves asaracialmarker listic “is infactacollageofvariousstyles[...The]scenediscriminationisthus[...]sty- tion” (60). “Baker’s supposedly African andprimitivechoreographicdiction,” Chengcontinues, ­precisely revealsthosedistinctionstobebuiltontransferabledisembodimentanddisarticula- the African American andanti-racistviewershameoppositionalspectatorship. Nyong’o to theself-consciouscuratingof suchimageryintheSpikeLeefilmBamboozled, ness toincludetheideathatracist kitsch, fromhistoricalceramicfigurinesofblackchildren (2002), Tavia Nyong’oexpandsClementGreenberg’spropositionthat kitschisfailedserious- diasporic representationandracialized performance. ple,is You inherongoingcommunity project, Narcissister ) tation forallofus(regardlessrace)tobecomeNarcissister bywearingthemask(forexam- mask, andNarcissister’sperformances Theories ofblackness, modernism, and “cool” inthehumanitieshaverepeatedlyturnedto Racial Kitsch andtheMask object’s capability. a on bringing usclosertoflesh, theoriginalsiteof American racialviolence. Atoncefocusing she tearsapart Ailey’s pairingofthesacredandcorporeal, insistingontheprofanebody, the fleshforchoreographicpurposesbyundoing Ailey’saestheticofcorporealunity. Moreover, nique andchoreographiesofvirtuosity. Narcissisterdisplacessuchconsistentdiscipliningof divided, ripped-apart” fleshintoacorporealunitymanifestedthroughclearlyexecutedtech- is thesuturingofwhatSpillersreferstoas African American body’shistorically “seared, racial violence. thing to “do” theperformativelaborthatisassumedto beoutsidethesphereofaman-made

— board. (1987:67) its seared, divided, ripped-apartness, rivetedtotheship’shole, fallen, or “escaped” over registered thewounding. Ifwethinkofthe “flesh” asaprimarynarrative, thenwemean bility ashighcrimesagainsttheflesh, asthepersonof African femalesand African males ties inconcertwiththe African “middleman,” weregardthishumanandsocialirrepara- Even thoughtheEuropeanhegemoniesstolebodies[...]outof West African communi- not escapeconcealmentunderthebrushofdiscourse, orthereflexesoficonography. the “body” thereisthe “flesh,” thatzerodegreeofsocialconceptualizationdoes as thecentralonebetweencaptiveandliberatedsubject-positions. Inthatsense, before I wouldmakeadistinction[...]between “body” and “flesh” andimposethatdistinction Concerned withthatwhichliesbeneaththeskin’ssurfaceHortenseJ. Spillersidentifiesthat

— and genre, operatingwithinandacrossforms.

indiscrimination” (65). Itisoftenstylisticindiscrimination and distractingusfrom

that corporealbeautyiscreatedattheverylocusofaperson(flesh)injuredin What the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT)continuallyrehearses . According toCheng, “racial legibilityhaslesstodowiththevisibility

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her body’sflesh,

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in boththeirrefusaltorevealherfaceandinvi

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that thedancingbodycan,

style can Narcissisterreliesonthestatusofhermaskas In “Racial KitschandBlack Performance” “out” someone(65). That ontologycan

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inherently questionassumptions of

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is aradicalnotionthatcon

rather thanskincolor paradoxically, establish generates in

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that - - Narcissister 109 the

and

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and she does so

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the terror at the ontological core of

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“The scripts of black dolls often merged servi- “The scripts of black dolls often merged , video installation still, Petrella’s Imports, New York, York, New Imports, Petrella’s still, installation video , You is Narcissister muscular surface of a live fleshly body. Her performances muscular surface of a live fleshly body. Figure 6. Figure (Courtesy2014. Narcissister) of - the affective quality haunting black popular performance the affective quality haunting black popular

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, excess, and the corporeal while withholding the facial, the subjec- and the corporeal while withholding the facial, excess, , the mutable,

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and - identifi

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the scapegoat in

and into

— that is the masked player. Her Barbie-like mask and body (one artificial, Barbie-like mask and body (one artificial, Her that is the masked player. stranger

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’s “skirt-flipping” performance is eerily precise in its mirroring of performance is eerily “skirt-flipping” The Dollhouse’s (222). performance. Narcissister self-consciously highlights this troubling dynamic in American culture Narcissister self-consciously highlights this troubling dynamic in With her doll-like presence, Narcissister has found a way to harness both the “animatedness” “animatedness” way to harness both the Narcissister has found a presence, her doll-like With Narcissister calls upon the Narcissister calls upon conflation of affective qualities and the bodily in racialized performance by exaggerating visibility slavery” “highly found in her is always only “truth” She thwarts expectations that and the soulful. tive, visible body.” the other fleshly) recalls what Sianne Ngai refers to as the “interplay between the passionate “interplay between the refers to as the the other fleshly) recalls what Sianne Ngai we press harder on “As Ngai writes, , Ugly Feelings book, In her (2007:91). and the mechanical” ‘being state of we shall see how the seemingly neutral the affective meanings of animatedness, abetting his or moved’ becomes twisted into the image of the overemotional racialized subject, She goes on to suggest (2007:91). her construction as unusually receptive to external control” “highly visible has historically been linked to the exemplifies how blackness Topsy that Stowe’s qualities where the prone to sliding into corporeal “emotional qualities seem especially body”: (95). African-American subject is concerned” in masks and merkins are costumed (and un-costumed) in a way that questions the fluctuat- in masks and merkins are costumed (and in performances that cite racialized and gendered fig- ing status of objecthood and subjectivity self-care, While auto- or object- or thing-based penetration can perform ures from history. also doll can Topsy rehearsed images such as the Narcissister’s appropriations of culturally writes, As Bernstein evoke masochism and rape. are the dolls themselves: according to Bernstein, “scripts,” The (2011:206). tude with violence” thing [is] an item of material culture that prompts meaningful bodily behaviors scriptive “A Bernstein provides (72). a historical artifact” The script is itself [...,] a script for a performance. all “in play” the topsy-turvy doll (206) and asserts that, of “rape imagery” the example of the “trouble the boundary between person and thing dolls as a scriptive thing. Topsy Bernstein’s discussion of of racialized performance the eternal cation with kitsch and objecthood of racist By donning hard masks and of the moving body. then complicates it with the performance , as in her topsy-turvy performance of The Dollhouse inserting doll heads into various orifices, racist kitsch object (such as that of Nyong’o’s figu- Narcissister places the brittle surface of the rine) onto black suggests a mode of spectator suggests a ship that seeks to locate a way ship that seeks the shame of feel- to transform human that comes ing less than kitsch’s oppositional with racist into an experi- spectatorship ence of racial kitsch that escapes engen- scapegoating and instead He won- ders self-recognition. for the ders if there is a way spectator to American African the regain innocence without bloodletting of 110 Ariel Osterweis his owncompany, Complexions. was alreadyindicatedinhisdancingatthe AAADT, butnotfullyrealizeduntiltransplantedto access toitsexcellence. The queernessofRichardson’s virtuosity(hischoreographicfalsetto) cites suchdance-basedvirtuosityinawaythatpointstovirtuosity’s excesswhiledenyingus relationship tomoderndanceisgroundedinthiseraandaesthetic. Inherwork, Narcissister dancing wastheprototypeforthosestudyingat AAADC inthe1990s, andNarcissister’s oped andever-imitated (infact, hefrequently gueststarsonSoYou ThinkYou).Dance His Can especially inthecontextofblackconcertdance. Richardson’svirtuosityisbothuniquelydevel- The commonassumptionisthatvirtuositysignalsavictoryofthemechanicaloverspiritual, alence, andgeneratesakindofexcessthatisalreadyaffectivelyqueer(seeOsterweis2013:69). women dancers. thetics ofqueermasculinitybycallinguponhyper-flexible movementstypicallyreservedfor and todevelopmyterm (and/as dance)toexposeanddisruptculturallybiasedjudgmentsofvirtuosic entitled “The n an article Muse of DesmondVirtuosity: Richardson, Race, and Choreographic Falsetto” written mass-produced popularculture. to alternatelycelebrateanddenigrate, andtypicallytodefineboundariesbetweenhighart in technique. Mostimportantly, itisatermusedtodescribesoloists(asapartfromgroup), nations ofvirtuosity’ssupposedexcess, orthatwhichsurpassescriticalstandardsofexcellence cator ofcriticaljudgmentandpublictaste-making. Racialandgenderedbiasesgeneratedesig- Nyong’o refers, ultimatelydrawingattentionbacktoherself, yourself. or styleNarcissisterprovidesawayforthespectatortocircumventscapegoatingwhich in thefaceofracismandabjecthumor of animatednessandwhatNyong’oreferstoastheoppositionalspectator’sreaction over intohyperability. his extremeflexibility, ashislegsseemedtoextendhigherthanothersandtechniquespilled athletic strengthandmuscularity, thecompanyalsoshowcasedhisuniqueabilitytocallupon The Ailey School). Although the AAADT emphasizedRichardson’shypermasculineimageof dancing ofDesmondRichardsoninthe1990s(thetimeperiodwhenNarcissisterstudiedat is transferredtoitsannouncementofacertainkindracializedvirtuosity, inauguratedbythe implicated inthekitschofblackness, isnotdevoidofvalueinitsrecentiterations. Rather, value thought ofasmass-producedimitationshighart, lackinginvalue. The Ailey aesthetic, while imitation ofitself. Iftraditionalnotionsof Western highartareassociatedwithvalue, kitschis politics ofthecivilrightsmovementin1960sbecame, overseveraldecades, performedasan 1980s and2011, fitssquarelywithinDiawara’sframework. Choreographyinitiallycommittedto (2002:385).fication’” AAADT’saestheticofliberation, evidentintheirworkbetweenthelate [Diawara] definesasthe ‘imitationofadiscourseliberation’intheservice ‘massidenti- ent from)racistorracialkitsch, namelythatof “afro-kitsch” ofblackness,’ orthe which “‘kitsch 4. 6. 5.

“Virtuosity” pointstothatwhichexceedsthenormalandnormative, lingersinambiv- As atermpopularizedthroughtheadventofnewspaperjournalism, “virtuosity” isanindi- As Nyong’oremindsus, ManthiaDiawarahasputforthaconceptrelatedto(butdiffer By reappropriatingculturalstereotypessuchas Topsy, NarcissisterlaysbareNgai’s I way the conductor’s is fetishized virtuosity even in the absence of the musician (1991). M Ballet, the company he 2013:53–74). cofounded with Dwight Rhoden (Osterweis emerged for Richardson at the AAADT and was fully realized in the repertoire of Complexions Contemporary wise feminine-identified movements of a queer masculinist aesthetic” in the service and suggest that this aesthetic for I refer to the term as discussed by Roderick A. Ferguson in Aberrations in Black (2004). ax Weber has pointed to the religious ([1948] 1991), while Theodoraura of the virtuoso Adorno has noted the Dance Research Journal , I develop the term “choreographic falsetto” to describe “the deliberate use of - other 4

“choreographic falsetto” todescribedancethatgeneratesanaes- 5 Isituatethetermincontextofqueercolor . However, byrefusingtolingerinanyonecharacter performance ­ critique ­ concept ­ disgust ­ - 6

Narcissister 111

projects

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paired with,

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or what Joseph charisma, charisma, always delivered in a mask

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The eyes are often referred to in popular cul- The eyes are often referred to in popular Figure 7. Desmond Richardson, 1997 (studio image). (Photo © © (Photo image). (studio 1997 Richardson, Desmond 7. Figure tempé) antoine lends him an undeniable quality of

a —

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- Such performance func one devoid of facial expression or stylistic stability. , both unattainable and accessible at once.

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Richardson’s movement style Richardson’s stream of seemingly impossi stream of seemingly ble feats for the human body. body. ble feats for the human was put his virtuosity Ailey, At ste- to more heteronormative, and this is the reotypical use, phase of virtuosity most rele- vant to Narcissister’s particular one that I would intervention, posit as a queer of color critique. Whereas Narcissister as a soloist rarely functions in relationship she indeed explores to a group, the queerness comprising vir tuosity’s (and Richardson’s) a curi- endures Virtuosity excess. ous relationship to temporality in the sense that once a virtuo- its own kind it runs the risk of hardening into time, sic mode has been repeatedly emulated over of kitsch object. at Complexions is at once fluid, is at once fluid, at Complexions break- and sinewy, punctuated, modern dance, ballet, as neck, and hip hop come voguing, - an unexpected com together in a typ- ingling of cultural forms: a penchée ical passage includes degrees (the leg extended 180 into a dis- to the back) leading followed torted shift of the hip of the by a downward circling and leg with the torso trailing popping into a new position ture as the “windows to the soul,” and in denying us access to her eyes, Narcissister discards the and in denying us access to her eyes, “windows to the soul,” ture as the Narcissister’s active disavowal of dance-based virtuosity Narcissister’s active disavowal of dance-based and individ- one of technical versatility Richardson, tions in stark contrast to the virtuosity of often teeming with facially and corporeally legible joy In Richardson’s dance, ual expression. Even though his versatility of (dance) style evidences a we are urged to feel with him. or angst, Access the appeal of his performances functions via some level of subjectivity. kind of mutability, Moreover, to his face invites assumptions of his subjectivity in a way that is inhibited by a mask. and character aside) performance, his facial expression (debates about sincerity, Disavowal and Aspiration Disavowal an eerie ambiguity but distinct from his virtuosity Roach refers to as the “It” quality (2007:1). Richardson has a way of making each person in quality (2007:1). “It” Roach refers to as the but are have access to Richardson’s face, We the audience feel he is performing just for them. of which is critical at the level of artistic con- the consequence denied access to Narcissister’s, of virtuosity and charisma that draws people It is precisely Richardson’s combination sumption. exceptional (“superhuman”) skill and access to his the idea that the viewer is privy to both in, soul 112 Ariel Osterweis for blackculture. normative Christiantropeoftheeyes’accesstosoulaswell “soul” reserved renda Dixon Gottschild has written about “soul” in American dance. In for theaudience of artandperformance. Artistry iseclipsedbyart-making:thepursuitofgeneratingpleasure multiple dancetechniques, Narcissister’sisonethatlaysbarebriefmomentsofvariousforms but asnippetof “virtuosic” movement. And ifRichardson’sversatilityisonethathybridizes mize virtuosity’sdualqualityofpopularappealanddifficultexecution, whilewithholdingall performance. Narcissisterisastuteincitingmomentsof AAADT choreographythatepito- Cabin togangsterrapyogaearlyfeministperformanceartporntropesofburlesque on thespectator’sculturalknowledgeinordertorecognizereferencesrangingfromUncleTom’s what weshouldfeel. Certainlynotdevoidofaffectivefodder, however, herperformancesrely Narcissister’s disavowalofvirtuosity ular blackperformancetobepresentational, outwardly directed, anddeliberatelykinetic. of ourtraining. type ofmovementthatthoseuswhotrainedat Ailey mightusetoparodytheextremenature Ailey aesthetic, especiallybecauseitlooksridiculouswhen executedhaphazardly. Itisalsothe type oftravelingturn(witharmscirclingoverhead)isafavorite onetousewhenparodyingthe these veryturnsinhispieceMemoria circle throughtheairaslegsexecutetravelingturns. Alvin Ailey choreographedaseriesof head parallelposition, tracingacircularright-back–left-frontpattern. The armsandupperbody from theHortontechnique, thekindinwhichdancerextendsherarmsaverticalover wedding-banded handcostumethatcoversherfaceandbody(2012), sheinsertsaseriesofturns us wantingmore. Forexample, inHandDance, whichNarcissisterperformsinalarger-than-life tuosity ultimatelyfunctionsasdisavowalordisplacement, asfragmentaryquotationthatleaves nothing morethanherownsinewymusculature, herparticularengagementwithdanceandvir frenzied, climacticsectionsofchoreography. Whether drapedindozensofdressesorclothed her performancesiswhenshemakesalmostmockinguseofmovementstypicallyreservedfor School; butontheotherhand, theonlytimesshemakesreferencetosuchdancetechniquein hand, Narcissisterisalwayssuretomentioninpublicitymaterialsthatshetrainedat The Ailey clunky, liminalphaseinone’sartistictrainingthatoftenendsfailure, notsuccess. Ontheone ment ofvirtuosity. Thus, Narcissisterbringsattentiontotheaspirationforexcellence, that one mightberemindedofatimeinthepastwhenvisionone’sfutureincludedattain- a ity, Narcissisterstagesthroughpartialembodimentandincompleteperformancenomorethan focus shiftsfromvirtuositytoaspiration:insteadoffulfillingasustainedaestheticvirtuos- rather, itisarejectionofitsendgoalvirtuositythatconcealsevidenceown labor. The avowal. Likewise, Narcissister’sdisavowalofher Ailey dancetrainingisnotacompletedenial; locking withballet. we findincommercialhiphopandalsooutsideofRichardson’sseamlessmeldpopping made, Narcissister’spasticheliesjustoutsidetherealmofsmooth, mass-producedsampling rain ofprocess, 7. striving toward excellence. Indoingso, temporalityoperatessuchthat, whileviewingherwork,

By denyingusaccesstoherownfeelings, Narcissisterprovidesnoinstructionsforhowor To referencesuchaturnsequenceistocommentonexpectationsandimperatives forpop- Just aspostmodernitysignalsarelationshiptomodernity, disavowalcontainsadegreeof spirit” (2003:223). centered religions that distinguish West and Central African cultures) and, concomitantly, a reaching for the Itfeel of a performance. has a sensual, (and visceral the connotation earth- of connectedness with the earth “Soul represents that attribute of the body/mind that mediates between flesh and spirit. It is manifested in the B makingtheaudienceprivytohangnailsofpastiche. Insistingonthehand-

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that foundin “artistry”

— (1979), anhomagetoHortondancerJoyce Trisler. This

and itsfetishizationofthecultindividualpersona

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is abandonedforglimpsesintotheuneventer The Black Dancing Body, she writes,

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- Narcissister 113

- no

an

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essay, has come to define for for define to come has essay, TDR to seduction of spectator by the wiles of the the of wiles the by spectator of seduction to no

Yvonne Rainer’s imperative “No to virtuosity” Rainer’s imperative Yvonne , 2011 (studio image). (Courtesyimage). (studio 2011 , Dance Hand 8. Figure of Narcissister) after

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to moving or being moved” (Rainer 1965:178). (Rainer moved” being or moving to no

That Narcissister’s mask is made-up like a Barbie of a darker hue, her That Narcissister’s mask is made-up like a Barbie of a darker hue, 8 we want to we want to to eccentricity to no

In disavowing the kind of virtuosity that has come to be expected of the black dancing In disavowing the kind of virtuosity that many the impetus behind the Judson Dance Theater’s aesthetic (even though it really only served only really of element an as it though (even aesthetic Theater’s Dance Judson the behind impetus the many virtuosityto make-believe no and spectacle magic and “NO to time): transformations its to no during piece a imagerytrash to no anti-heroic the to no no heroic the to no image star the of transcendency and glamour the to performercamp to of no style to no spectator or involvement to performer Rainer

8. mances of blackness are only ever static. and piv- strips technical bravura of emotional affect, Narcissister body in the United States, mobilizing dance technique’s means to different ends, By ots presentation away from charisma. one that imagines (but phase of training, Narcissister inadvertently confronts the aspirational than suggesting that her performances of aspiration Rather may never fulfill) a virtuosic future. of the anticlimactic as that which is actively generated I mine the space inherently signal failure, façade theatrical but frozen, suggests that stereotypical expressions found in mainstream perfor suggests that stereotypical expressions found in mainstream façade theatrical but frozen, Ailey dancer would not pair Horton turns with the masklike gaze of a Judson dancer wary of Ailey dancer would not pair Horton turns theatrical expression. 1965 a in paragraph asa published first actually Manifesto,” “No ’s know what lies hidden under her lies hidden under her know what what we expect of façade and Dancers racialized performance. are applauded for AAADT in expressive- facial and corporeal is that we but the irony ness, gained are made to feel we have individu- access to the dancers’ ality through facial expression when in fact we are consuming by and a cultural type endorsed While for mainstream culture. performs Narcissister normally from in a mask that is separate in Hand the rest of her costume, Dance her face is hidden behind a dark mesh portion of the hand costume (her legs and feet com- prise the costume’s fingers and Whether performing the nails). Horton turns behind mesh or in Narcissister colors our a mask, reading of both the turns and the mask: we can read the mask- - an allu “mask,” ing as a minstrel sion to European modernism’s or African masks, obsession with The lat- as a sign of anonymity. ter is most fitting; Narcissister’s masking disrupts expectations the audience’s offering up her emotion in the service of both that the dancer is baring her soul, Unlike contemporary dancers influenced by the Judson pleasure and a higher spiritual power. Theater’s pedestrianism Dance asks us if and whyasks us if and 114 Ariel Osterweis Figure 9. Narcissister, a contract, disavowal displays howdisavowal, too, cantakeondramaturgicalqualities. Ifavowalisapromise, butnot meaning slightly, thatavowalisoftheorderdramaordramaturgy” (2014:210). Narcissister writes, “Neither performativenorsymbolic, Iwouldsuggestinstead, inchangingtheusual performative potentialanddramaturgicalattributesofavowalinthejuridicalsphere. Foucault through disavowal. JudithButlerhasbroughtattentiontoMichelFoucault’slecturesonthe tled don themaskistobe(come)Narcissister, forasmallprice. Ourmanifestoisprovisionallyenti- attached toanelasticmuchlikeastripper’sg-string. The ideabehindsellingthemisthatto used toadornStyrofoamfemaleheadsmadeforwigdisplay;themerkinsarehand-sewnand feminist craft, individualizedbyNarcissister’sartistichand. Shewearsremovableplasticmasks masks andmerkinsshewearsinperformance. These objectsarepartmass-producedand Narcissister recentlyaskedmetodraftamanifestoaccompanysalesofreproductionsthe Manifesting, Animating in sellingmasksandmerkinswithaccompanyingmanifestos, Narcissisterencouragesthepro- wigs, andmerkins. by additionalNarcissisters, indicatedassuchbynothingmorethantheirnearlyidentical masks, lic Narcissister’saffect. In performancessuchasThisMasquerade (2011), Narcissisterisjoined lic theprivate, theinternal, thesubjective, theyindeedhavethecapacity tomake(more)pub- feel somethingunderthemask. While multiplemask-wearingNarcissistersdo not makepub- minoritarian affectensuesfromsuchmaterialityamidstabstraction, affinityamidstanonymity? the fuzzfromotherside, asourhandsfondleown/Narcissister merkins. What kindof own merkins, smoothedagainstourskin(orpubichair) byaswatchoffabric, wewillonlyfeel performing theotherofother. of Narcissister’sdisavowalliesinherrefusaltospeak, aswewitnessthingsactingandthebody absence ofutterance. ButlerandFoucaultremainfixedinadiscursiverealm, buttheefficacy hold. Materialarticlesdon’talwaysremainonherbody, andherbodycommunicatesinthe tive, anacknowledgementofnormativevisualregimesfollowedbymovementsthatescapetheir By creatingamultiplicity, Narcissisterinvitesothers todancewiththeireyesclosed, to Narcissister’s Amerkin Manifesto. Narcissister’s Amerkinmakingmanifestor A manifestodeclaresa The Workout, 2007. (Photo by Kristy Leibowitz)

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as performedbyNarcissister

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functions asapromiseofanalterna ). (Narcissistering). from text(manifesto)toaction lishing aperformativeconduit one’s ownNarcissister, estab- certain criteriaforbecoming Narcissister; rather, itmanifests not manifestsome “truth” about 2012:270). The manifestodoes self (BrowningandOsterweis a singularidentityorlegible ther removingherselffrom liferation ofNarcissisters, fur yet, aswepurchaseanddonour distance fromthefuzzymerkin; formance, ourtouchremainsata members ataNarcissisterper nor adisavowal. As audience ary guide, itisneitheranavowal aspirational text. An intermedi- Ultimately, amanifestoisan making public, and - - - Narcissister 115 - ([1989] 1999). ([1989] Hardcore Hardcore allowed others to take , video installation still, Envoy Enterprises, New New Enterprises, Envoy still, installation video , You is Narcissister are especially poignant in reference to popular cul are especially poignant

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she inserts dildos and removes cellphones dildos and removes she inserts Woman, Every Figure 10. Figure (Courtesy2012. Narcissister) of York, and ­ pleasure - as self-

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(2007) while riding a butt plug that she has attached to the bike seat. Such seat. butt plug that she has attached to the bike (2007) while riding a In The Basket 9 ­plicity through a lonely series of ­sufficiency and is the Narcissister is You could be otherwise described as a collective endeavor, it was marketed as the artist’s first solo endeavor, could be otherwise described as a collective While By involving an international community of Narcissisters, no matter how dispersed or By involving an international community of Narcissisters, That in pornography of definition Williams’s Linda to according pornography, than other What is never made public is explicit penetration or even a glimpse of her “natural” organ, organ, “natural” even a glimpse of her penetration or made public is explicit What is never

9. title of an ongoing community it project of public Narcissisters, is also the title of a 2012–2013 exhibition of photography and of the entire City that documents one particular period York video at envoy enterprises in New of the exhibit is a triptych of screens showing three video The video portion durational project. Narcissister invited people of any gender and accompanied by live electronic noise music. loops, this proj- Until of her mannequin-like mask. race to go about their everyday lives in replicas Narcissister was embodied by a single performer; Narcissister ect, is You self-pleasuring endeavors that never seem to lead to prolonged satisfaction or ecstasy. ture’s inability to render images ture’s inability to render cared for of black women being 2012). (Browning and Osterweis Accompanying Narcissister’s embrace of multi the incorporation of multiple masked Narcissisters is a simul auto-abjection, dispersed autonomous wearers of the mask each become Narcissister, Singular, on her identity. and of their ability to burrow beneath on the one hand, ever aware of their minoritarian status, hav- walking dogs, In the video we witness Narcissisters on the other. a stereotypical facade, Although Narcissister is bans on public toplessness. and challenging visiting galleries, ing sex, You for others to don the Narcissister mask gestures more her invitation Paradoxically, exhibition. The imagined com- toward a politics of individuality and self-care than sameness and cohesion. by munity of Narcissisters is one that refuses nation while relying on the very codes produced its economy. Narcissister ultimately disavows the soloist domestic in their everyday masked endeavors, the a group, Indicating a performer apart from dimension central to the notion of virtuosity. and Narcissister extinguishes such auratic virtuoso is celebrated in the glow of a spotlight, taneous self- and entire outfits from her vagina. Potentially the most intimate of bodily spaces, her vagina of bodily spaces, Potentially the most intimate her vagina. and entire outfits from than a universal sign of (self-) penetrability that is nothing more known becomes the site of a as she repeatedly slaps her seems to equate self-pleasure with self-care, Narcissister pleasure. the stationary bike’s handle- large brown dildo dangling from above masked face against a bars in The Workout moments of self-care even when we find Narcissister pulling various accouterments from her vagina in the reverse vagina in the reverse from her pulling various accouterments we find Narcissister even when that perruque DeCerteau’s argument After appropria- is a tactical . Woman Every striptease of I refer underclass, by a minoritarian goods or time tion of dominant/majoritarian-governed of the tactical appropriations of the pussy,” “perruque as fuzzy performances to Narcissister’s profane. otherwise performances her renders extraction) and penetration during (even offscreen and unseen remains vagina her 116 Ariel Osterweis by mainstream culture. ible mutabilitythatrefusestocommitthebindingperformancesofraceandgenderscripted a wardrobeinsideone’svagina, Narcissister’sdisciplinedtransgressionsperformaninexhaust- trol requiredtoexecutea30-minutedanceby Alvin Ailey tothelessvisiblecontrolofholding in suggestinganalternativefreedomofdoingityour self. Bytransferringthetechnicalcon- texture ofthehandmadeDIYcraft. Bydoingitherself, shetakesgreatmelancholicpleasure near-religiosity throughherinsistenceontheprofane, thecollectivelyabject, andtheuneven Kleist, Heinrichvon. (1810)1972. “On theMarionette Theatre.” Translated by Thomas G. Neumiller. Gottschild, BrendaDixon. 2003. TheBlack DancingBody: A Geography fromCoontoCool. New York: Palgrave Foucault, Michel. 2014. Wrong-Doing, Truth-Telling: The Functionof Avowal inJustice. Edited byFabienne Ferguson, Roderick. 2004. Aberrations inBlack: Toward aQueerofColorCritique. Minneapolis:Universityof Clastres, Pierre. [1974]1989.Society Against theState:Essays inPolitical Anthropology . Translated byRobert Cheng, Anne Anlin. 2008. “Skin Deep:JosephineBakerandtheColonialFetish.” Camera Obscura: Feminism, Browning, Barbara, and Ariel Osterweis. 2012. “Dancing Social.” Theatre Survey 53, 2:269–77. Bernstein, Robin. 2011. RacialInnocence:Performing American ChildhoodfromSlavery toCivilRights. New Bennett, Jane. 2010. Vibrant Matter: A Political Ecologyof Things. Durham, NC:DukeUniversityPress. Agamben, Giorgio. 2011. Nudities. Translated byDavidKishikandStefanPedatella. Stanford, CA:Stanford Adorno, Theodor. 1991. “On theFetishCharacterinMusicandRegressionofListening.” InThe References http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/suppl/10.1162/DRAM_a_00499. To view supplementalmaterialsrelatedtothisarticle, pleasevisit Williams, Linda. (1989)1999. Hardcore: Power, Pleasure, andthe “Frenzy ofthe Visible.” Berkeley:Universityof Weber, Max. (1948)1991. “Part III:Religion.” InFrom Max Weber: Essays inSociology, editedbyH.H. Gerth Spillers, HortenseJ. 1987. “Mama’s Baby, Papa’sMaybe: An American GrammarBook.” Diacritics17, Roach, Joseph. 2007. It. Ann Arbor: UniversityofMichiganPress. Rainer, Yvonne. 1965. “Some retrospectivenotesonadance for10peopleand12mattressescalled ‘Parts of Osterweis, Ariel. 2013. “The Museof Virtuosity: DesmondRichardson, Race, andChoreographicFalsetto.” Nyong’o, Tavia. 2002. “Racial KitschandBlackPerformance.” The Yale Journal ofCriticism15, 2:371–91. Ngai, Sianne. (2005)2007. UglyFeelings. Cambridge, MA:HarvardUniversityPress. Narcissister. 2012. Interviewwithauthor. Brooklyn, NY, 30July. Special issue,Issue.”Special “The‘Puppet’ Macmillan. Press. Brion andBernardE. Harcourt. Translated by Stephen W. Sawyer. Chicago:UniversityofChicago Minnesota Press. Hurley incollaborationwith Abe Stein. New York: ZoneBooks. Culture, andMediaStudies 23, York: New York UniversityPress. University Press. Culture, Industry editedbyJ.M. Bernstein, 29–60. London:Routledge. California Press. and C. Wright Mills, 267–362. London:Routledge. 2:65–81. Church, New York, inMarch, 1965.” TDR: Tulane Drama Review10, 2(T30):168–78. Some Sextets,’ performedatthe Wadswroth Atheneum, Hartford, Connecticut, and JudsonMemorial Dance Research Journal 45, 3:53–74. 3/69:35–79. TDR 16, 3(T55):22–26.