Fringe Festival in NY's West Village Alfresco

NY International Fringe Festival performances are avant-garde and all live. The festival offers drama, comedy, dance, musicals, and more. It's your chance to be exposed to the arts all in one location, NY's West Village. This year marked the Festival's 14^th anniversary. On Saturday, August 28^th, at 2:15 pm, I attended an unforgettable FringeAL FRESCO performance. I offer you this glimpse because the 15^th NY Fringe Festival's unforgettable memories await you.

FringeAL FRESCO Venue

Unique from the Fringe Festival's 200 in-theater live productions, FringeAL FRESCO was outdoors. Nestled between the West Village's grandiose Washington Square Park Arch and spouting Tisch Fountain, the no-frills performance flowed from the ground. Propped on the Fountain's edge, cooled by its mist, I had a perfect seat.

The Fringe Festival Performance

The performance consists of two intertwined shows, "Not My Problem" and "Inside. Not Looking Out." They are movement theater and performance art. You interpret meanings from the performers' exaggerated body movements, gestures, and facial expressions. This art form is akin to pantomime, actions without words. This show incorporates words.

Alfresco Fringe Festival Performance - "Not My Problem"

Six performers bounced onto the alfresco scene, demurely dressed in black. Their half-hour performance was far from demure and it was thought-provoking. Right there, at the Fringe Festival in NY's West Village, it provoked me to think, "We are all in this world together; we all need to do our part." This is the beauty of movement theater and performance art: the human intellectual, psychological and emotional interaction. The show shared its beauty to its provocative end.

Alfresco Fringe Festival Performance - "Inside. Not Looking Out"

The provocation increased. Performers shouted through a megaphone. One performer asked repeatedly, "Can you only love the extraordinary?" Can I? I wasn't sure. I wanted to contemplate this question, but I didn't want to miss anything. A male and female performer began to act out what I interpreted to be love's anguish. It was riveting.

Conversation with the Director/Choreographer

After the Fringe Festival's alfresco show, I approached the performers for comment. They're such cool cats, they introduced me to one of the show's director/choreographers, Hiram Pines.

Mr. Pines is a brilliant, enlightened man. He graciously took the time to share his insight of the show including its messages.

"Not My Problem" - It is about the difference between caring and not caring. Either everything is sacred, including a city street, sidewalk or subway platform or nothing is sacred. We must view the planet as a whole.

"Inside. Not Looking Out" - It explores the multifaceted human, focusing, in particular, on the presence of masculine and feminine intelligence in both man and woman.

His art speaks to us about our lives.

Conclusion

Street musicians, dancers, a sand artist (pic 5), a mobbed street fair with worldwide wares and more filled the West Village streets of the Fringe Festival. It's some party! You're invited. The 15^th Annual NY International Fringe Festival's unforgettable memories await you.

Show Information:

Directed and Choreographed by: Deborah Balardini, Hiram Pines
Performed by: Renee Brown, Sandie Luna, Daniela Mastropietro, Elisa Matula, Memo, Perri Yaniv
Contact: dbalardini@gmail.com / hiram@hirampines.com