Also this issue:

"4 Artists of Distinction"
The African American Museum's "4 Artists of Distinction" is bright and deep.
-Robin Rice

Wlodzimierz Ksiazek: New Paintings
-Susan Hagen

Le Ballet National du Senegal
-Deni Kasrel

Beatlemania Now Project
-Paul Burress

Dealer's Choice
-Shivani Mahendroo

Donna Uchizono Co.
-Deni Kasrel

Georgian State Dance Company
-Janet Anderson

Lucia di Lammermoor
-David Shengold

November 14-20, 2002

artpicks

In the Shape of a Spider

In the Shape of a Spider, a new dance/film work by Philadelphia performance artist Gin MacCallum, has its premiere this week in Old City.

Inspired by passages from Lars Gustafsson's novel, The Death of a Beekeeper, In the Shape of a Spider explores the possibility of ever becoming something other than ourselves. Integrating text, live music, moving pictures, rose petals, balloons and a fish tank with eight performers and a cellist, the movement unfolds brief worlds of reaction to the experience of being caught or contained by an impermanent body. Although the performance is primarily dance movement, it does incorporate some theatrical elements. The cellist, Helena Espvall-Santoleri, has created all the music she will be performing.

In the Shape of a Spider marks MacCallum's first self-produced evening-length group work, and was funded in part by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts' Independent Artist Fellowship. MacCallum says she did not hold auditions for the performance. "The dance community in Philadelphia is fairly small, so through word of mouth I was able to find the dancers. I already knew most of them and they approached me and said they wanted to work with me."

In addition to her ongoing work as a solo artist, MacCallum has worked with Group Motion and is currently a resident choreographer and teacher at Susan Hess Modern Dance.

Fri.-Sat., Nov. 15-16, $10-$15, Christ Church Annex, 20 N. American St., third floor, 215-339-5250.

—Shivani Mahendroo