Strathmore Dishes Up Bacon and Fruit
By Lavanya Ramanathan
Saturday, July 19, 2008; C12
If there were one day you should really consider attending Strathmore’s summer-long free outdoor concert series, Wednesday’s performance would be it.
Hip-hop artist Christylez Bacon is from Southeast Washington, a positive-vibes rapper and beatboxer whose shows feature international rhythms, contributions from all his super-talented musician pals, and audiences full of family and friends. One of Strathmore’s resident performers, he performs at the Gudelsky Outdoor Concert Gazebo at 7 p.m.
Then comes the big treat: Australian performance-art troupe Strange Fruit. The 14-year-old company just might blow your minds with its aerial love dance “Swoon” — which four performers literally do, swaying from the tops of 15-foot fiberglass poles. They look a bit like cattail plants blowing in the wind. (The act’s name is not a reference to the Billie Holiday song about lynchings; troupe founder Roderick Poole was inspired by farm fields, imagining people swaying like wheat stalks.)
“Swoon” explores the darker sides of affairs of the heart, from jealousy to unrequited love; the performers perch from the poles by strapping into harnesses that allow for flexibility as well as safety. It’s odd stuff but it should be fantastic when lighted for the 9 p.m. show. Free. Wednesday at 7 p.m. Strathmore’s Gudelsky Outdoor Concert Gazebo, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. 301-581-5100.