As the culmination of his two-year Annenberg Research Commission Residency project In one step are a thousand animals, Trajal Harrell continues his exploration of Tatsumi Hijikata in the new commissioned performance In the Mood for Frankie. In this work, Harrell turns toward the figure of the muse, both in Hijikata's work and in Harrell's personal influences. This performance draws upon a diverse set of inspirations, including butoh dancer Yoko Ashikawa, modern dancer-choreographer Katherine Dunham, filmmaker Wong Kar Wai, fashion designer Rei Kawakubo, singer Sade, dancer and choreographer Kazuo Ohno, and Harrell's own working relationships with dancers Thibault Lac and Ondrej Vidlar. In the artist's words, "In the Mood for Frankie spills out like a park of muses settled and unsettled between history and the imagination."
Choreography: Trajal Harrell
Dancers: Trajal Harrell, Thibault Lac, Ondrej Vidlar
Set design: Trajal Harrell
Lighting design: Stefane Perraud
Soundtrack: Trajal Harrell
Costumes: Comme des Garcons, Ann Demeulemeester, Jean Paul Gaultier, and the performers
Production manager: Bob Bellerue
Technical director: Alexander Symes
Company manager: Michael Hart
Managing director: Catherine Levine
Special thanks to Yamaha Artist Services, New York.
Limited seating is available. Guests are encouraged to arrive 15 minutes prior to the performance time, as late arrivals will not be seated. Please use the Film entrance at The Ronald S. and Jo Carole Lauder Building, east of the main entrance on 53 Street.
In the Mood for Frankie is commissioned by The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Presented at MoMA, in collaboration with the Singapore International Festival of the Arts.
The program at MoMA is made possible by MoMA’s Wallis Annenberg Fund for Innovation in Contemporary Art through the Annenberg Foundation.