Who: American dancer and choreographer Trajal Harrell(right) has presented his work in international festivals in France, Austria, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Portugal, Belgium, Brazil and Germany.
The 43-year-old is known for his dance series, Twenty Looks Or Paris Is Burning At The Judson Church, which reimagined a meeting between early post-modern dance and the voguing dance tradition popularised by pop queen Madonna in her Vogue video.
He is performing here next week as part of the Singapore International Festival of Arts 2016. His production, In The Mood For Frankie, which marks his debut in Asia, runs from Thursday to Saturday at 72-13 in Mohamed Sultan Road, home of Singapore performance company TheatreWorks.
There are two shows each night. A bonus performance, The Return Of La Argentina, will be done next Sunday, with three shows. Tickets are available from Sistic.
What are you reading?
I am reading Tokyo Cancelled by Rana Dasgupta, a novel about 13 passengers stranded at an airport. Dasgupta is a friend of mine who lives in New Delhi.
I am also reading The Courts Of Babylon by Peter Bodo, which is about the history of tennis, as I am an avid tennis fan.
I recently finished reading ReFusing Fashion: Rei Kawakubo, the exhibition catalogue from a show about the Japanese designer and founder of Comme des Garcons at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Detroit. I readit as part of my long-term research into the aesthetics of butoh, a form of Japanese dance theatre, as I would be incorporating it into my performances in Singapore.
What books would you save from a burning house?
Honestly, I don't think I would try to save any book. Most books are easily replaceable. I would, however, try to save my rehearsal notebooks and old love letters.
• Tokyo Cancelled by Rana Dasgupta (2005, Black Cat, $20.82) is available at Books Kinokuniya.
