Bad Smells by Glenn Branca
Barbara Hoon, Mary Ann Kellogg, Shelley Washington
John Carrafa, Raymond Kurshals, William Whitener, Keith Young
Video Camera Operator: Tom Rawe
A camera operator moves onstage amongst the dancers in Bad Smells, the live video feed projected on the back wall. Extreme close-ups, inverted images and jolting camera movements create a warped reiteration of the thrashing choreography. The floor, covered in silver mylar, twists the dancers’ reflections, adding another layer of distortion to the projected image. It is in this skewed environment that the dancers perform a final act of ritual sacrifice.
Bad Smells premiered on the same program as Nine Sinatra Songs, preceeding the glamorous fantasy.
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Rawe (with camera) and dancers during performance.
<p>©Paul B. Goode</p> -
Carrafa and Whitener in performance.
<p>©Paul B. Goode</p> <p> </p> -
Kellogg and Whitener perform.
<p>©Paul B. Goode</p> -
Company dancers perform in front of live video projections.
<p>© Johan Elbers</p>
Bad Smells
Commissioned by Twyla Tharp
Recorded by Glenn Branca and John Giorno
Featuring Lee Ranaldo and Thurston Moore
Written by Glenn Branca
From the album "Who You Staring At?" - 1982
Released by Giorno Poetry Systems
Bad Smells by Glenn Branca