Brian Belott, People Pie Pool, 2017. Photos © Paula Court. Courtesy of Performa.

For People Pie Pool Brian Belott immerses himself into the rebellious legacy of DADA, American standup comedy, the history of slapstick and vaudeville, He choreographs a comedy of simultaneity, paying homage to the work of Kurt Schwitters, the Marx Brothers, Andy Kaufman, Lenny Bruce and many others. Belott’s motley cast will include visual artists, comedians, property lawyers, SAT tutors, musicians, bingo players, tap dance teachers, basketball teams, sword swallowers and other assorted exhibitionists.

Choreographed to coincide and overlap, Brian will collage this unhinged group of performers and entertainers into staged actions, ranging from the extraordinary to the banal, generating a cacophonous assemblage of disorderly and subversive movements, words, music, and voluntary mindlessness. Through a stream of consciousness that is consistently absurd, nonsensical and irrational, the various acts will display the artist’s unique ability to take the audience on an exuberant, satirical and anarchic ride.

Curated by Jens Hoffmann. Co-presented by Abrons Arts Center. Supported by Gavin Brown’s Enterprise and the Performa Commissioning Fund.