Reyes found pleasure in many places: Manhattan vogue balls, Portland strip clubs, a Montreal trans bar and Berlin play parties. Each place offered him an escape from social norms but each one also came with its own restrictive house rules. In “The Principle of Pleasure”, Reyes uses the theatre as a place capable of transcending limits to share his first true pleasure – dancing to the seductive songs of Janet Jackson. Voguing, stripping, glorifying eccentricity and embodying glamour open up the floor to exploring the controversial power of pleasure. Together performer and audience erase the borders that divide them to find ecstasy within and between their bodies.
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"Gerard Reyes offers us an ode to pleasure. The joy of dancing, of listening to music, of abandoning oneself to a sensual game of seduction is at the core of the work. And it becomes more touching. After he disrobes, the dancer reveals a beautiful intimacy; admirably lit by Karine Gauthier. In addition to questioning theatre conventions, one cannot avoid considering the conventions of stripping and voguing. What do these forms mean when extracted from the contexts we are used to seeing them in? Reyes takes all of the elements out of their stranglehold. They seem to be linked back together through their common essence, a limitless pleasure."
Emma SimonDfdanse.com, 04-06-2017
"This body, as feminine as it is masculine, beautifully sculpted, enchants the gaze. [...] Clearly, Gerard Reyes knows how to turn his audience upside down and take them out of their comfort zone, just as he marvelously extracts himself from the codes of representation."
Marine DurandMontheatre.qc.ca, 03-06-2017
Credits
Concept, Choreography and Performance: Gerard X Reyes | Featuring the music of: Janet Jackson | Original Composition and Remixes: Devon Bate | “Control” Remix: Ty Harper | Lighting: Karine Gauthier | Costume: Vincent Tiley, Polina Boltova | Artistic advice: Archie Burnett, Jose Xtravaganza, Benoît Lachambre, Ami Shulman, Matjash Mrozewski, Amazon Leiomy Maldonado, Nagato Ninja, Kristina Marlen, Matthew Cuff, Jordan Hall (Boy Radio), Isabelle Hanimaku
The Principle of Pleasure is a Gerard X Reyes production | Distribution: Plan B Hamburg | Co-production: Hollins University M.F.A. Dance Program, Virginia, USA | Residencies: The Door (New York), The Spectrum (Brooklyn, New York), Département de danse – Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal arts interculturels, Studio Mange Mes Pieds (Montréal), Danse à la carte (Montréal), Dancemakers (Toronto) | Funded by: Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, Canada Council of the Arts, Antenne du Québec à Berlin
Gerard X Reyes would like to thank Janet Jackson and all their teachers in NYC: Archie, Danielle Polanco, Leiomy, Dashaun Wesley, Benny, Javier Madrid, Edwin and Matthew Cuff (Toronto). Special thanks to all the queens at Escuelita and the kids at The Door for their inspiration.
