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Barking Legs has a long history of bringing innovative performances
to Chattanooga. The following chronological list will give you a
taste of some of our best moments.

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Chattanooga Poetry Slam
October 3 of ‘98
Fabulous Poets! Fabulous Prizes! This entertaining night of poetry
began with open mike and improvisation poetry. The rapid-fire
competition was open to all poets with the simple rule- “Leave
your ego at the door.” |
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“Limbs and Longevity”:
A CoPAC and TAD presentation
October 16 & 17 of ‘98
This performance showcased the works of experienced dancers and
explored the inter-related processes of creating and maturing
in many different styles of dance. The program reflected the
extraordinary talent of the nationally-acclaimed dance professionals
from across the state. |
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Tom Kirby and Friends: “The
Freak Engine”
October 31 of ‘98
A variety show from HELL! Featured performance art, theater improvisation,
dance and torturous human experiments from Memphis, Tennessee.
And if that wasn’t enough, a late night dance party was
offered to all those that survived. |
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Rebecca Gose, Mark
Lamb, and Ann Law: “3
Dancers Dancing”
November 7 of ‘98
Three soloist from Knoxville, Nashville, and Chattanooga presented
new modern and post-modern dance that challenged the audience’s
sense of physical possibility. It was a rare opportunity to experience
these three electrifying dancers in one performance. Eye-popping,
spine-tingling, hair-raising, bone-chilling, toe-curling dance! |
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Barking Legs Theater “Semi-Decade
Anniversary Blowout”
November 21 of ‘98
Chattanooga’s most infamous annual twisted variety show!
Cast of thousands! Singing Fleas! Dancing Dogs! Flying Grandmas!
And Much, Much More! |
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CoPAC and the Shaking
Ray Levi Society: “Southern
Edge”
December 5 of ‘98
Chattanooga was invited for an evening of the most innovative
improvisational dance and music from across the state and the
southeast. This acclaimed group of performers included some of
the original champions of the national improvisational art movement.
Even Fred Thompson wouldn’t have missed this earth-shaking
meeting of the maestros! |
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Spring 1999 Season (Tennessee: The Real
Movers and Shakers- The Sequel)
“
Grandmas in Tennis Shoes”
March 20 of ‘99
The Dance Troupe of the University of Memphis gave a performance
that transcended time and art forms like no other performance
that season. Six dancers united the past and the present in a
combination of music, movement and memories. |
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“How Sweet the
Sound”
Last two weekend in April of ‘99
This unique addition to the season was a playwright festival.
A series of five one-act plays explored everything from relationships
to breast cancer to religion as seen through the eyes of southern
women. This project was funded in part by Allied Arts of Great
Chattanooga and the Tennessee Arts Commission. |
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“Project Moon”
May 8 of ‘99
This modern dance group from Memphis was a lightening storm of
movement and activity that was both physically challenging and
emotionally engaging. |
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“Next Year in Sodom (or Elijah’s
Revenge)
May 15 of ‘99
The Eggplant Faeries performed their circus-paced comedy and
murder mystery to finish the season with a trip. This satire
of the ancient family tradition of eating your way through religious
gatherings to avoid discussing politics and sexuality had the
audience bursting with laughter. |
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Banging Bamboozles and Strings on a Thing,
Dancers Dancing with Musical Things
October 1 & 2 of ‘99
Barking Legs Theater presented Lela Performance Group and Orbacles & Orbitones.
Straight from memories of Dr. Seuss, young and old alike marveled
at the ingenuity of strange instruments as they twisted, lunged
and hurled their way through this extraordinary experience. |
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Tim Miller: “Shirts
and Skin”
September 3 & 4 of ‘99
Based on his book by the same name, Tim Miller’s “Shirts
and Skin” translated one gay man’s life and the struggles
he had encountered. His history emerged from the clothes Miller
brought on stage with him. They worked as metaphors for the different
stages of his life.. According to Miller, “You can really
learn something about someone by looking at their clothes line.” The
performance piece was a provocative look at gay life, past and
present, and the evolution of the gay community over the past
two decades. The LA Times wrote that “Shirts and Skin” was
a “wickedly funny and often painfully honest piece.” |
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Ingeborg Weinmann: “Don’t Look,
Don’t Ask”
December 3 & 4 of ‘99
Don’t Look, Don’t Ask” was a solo theater piece
with music and song, portraying three generations of women in
their confrontation with the memories of a fascist regime and
its atrocities: the Holocaust. The piece was based on the author’s
experience of growing up in the shadow of Nazi Germany. Much
of the material was derived from interviews with Weinmann’s
mother and grandmother. Weinmann plays four different characters-
an old woman, a middle aged woman and a young contemporary folk/rock
singer, as well as a Nazi Party official. The music was performed
live by Tim White. |
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Tennessee Dance Summit
January 7 & 8 of ‘00
This conference hosted professional dancers, teachers, presenters,
administrators, and choreographers. It was a rare opportunity
to network, consult with peers, to renew and reinforce professional
collaborations and working relationships, and to engage in open
group dialogue about new projects, survival tips, and continuing
education. It stretched over one weekend and included three delicious
meals at the Renaissance Commons. |
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Tennessee Dance Theater
March 31 and April 1 of ‘00
Tennessee Dance Theater created modern dance and theater productions
that have the stamp of the South with its characteristic mixture
of polite grace, down-to-earth foot stomping, and self-deprecating
humor. Through a blending of dance, theater, and song, this highly
talented dance ensemble brought hallelujahs and heartaches to
the Barking Leg’s stage. |
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CoPAC’s Earth
2000
May 3-5 of ‘00
This project had three phases: 1) workshops and creation, 2)
improvisation rehearsals, and 3) performance. During the first
phase, components from Beacon Dance’s Earth 1999, presented
in Atlanta, adapted for an alternative, public site, using performing
artists form both Atlanta and Chattanooga. Patton White, the
Project Director, facilitated the performers’ interaction
with students, during ten school performances. Questions to begin
the dialogue included where did you grow up, and how would you
describe your relationship to those places, and how do we experience
the earth through all the senses. The creative process continued
into the improvisational phase, and the performing artists, including
the professional dancers, visual artists, a composer, and musicians,
interpreted the earth stories during public rehearsals on-site,
to create one original performance art piece in layers, using
multi-media, a thematic and prosaic text, original music and
powerful visual imagery. |
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4-Way Crossing
June 23-25 of ‘00
4-Way Crossing looked deep into the hearts and souls of 4 local
profeesional choreographers whose paths have unexpectedly crossed
for the first time. The audience watched as choreographers Victoria
Dunn, Elizabeth Longphre, Ellen Rosa, and Asha Williams learned
about one another and worked together to create a performance
about women, desires, frustrations, and beliefs. It was dramatic,
comical and just plain fun. |
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CORE Performance Company
in “Remembering”
October 20 & 21 of ‘00
CoPAC presented CORE Performance Company, the professional dance
company within Several Dancers Core. The company focused on the
ongoing development of the artistic process through the creation
of new work. Made up of individual artists, the company performed
new choreography that evolved through experimentation, improvisation,
and collaborations with artists from different mediums. Through
an active performing schedule in Houston, Atlanta, and on tour,
the company was committed to education people of diverse ages
and communities about their own creative potential. |
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Ray McNiece: Performance Poet
February 8 of ‘01
Ray McNiece performed an evening of works including excerpts
from “The Road that Carried me Here” and his award
winning solo theater piece “US?-Talking Across America.” Winner
of two National Poetry Slams, McNiece is “a modern day
descendent of Woody Gutherie.” |
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Forget Hell!
March 30 & 31 and April 6 & 7 of ‘01
This was an unforgettable performance showcase of local artists
(Brain Cagle, Lee Henderson, Ann Law, Dennis Palmer, and Juanita
Tumelaire) and their contemporary interpretations of the “War
Between the States.” This multi-media cabaret featured
original dance, music, spoken word, video, and theater from Chattanooga’s
most innovative artists. “Forget Hell!” challenged
how the audience viewed the South in this Crash ‘n Burn
course in Chattanooga’s history. |
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