Monkey Off My Back or The Cat’s MeowSeptember 9-20, 2025
Details
“It seems like nothing, but it is everything, the precision of tiny movements, inflections of head and arms communicating the repression of a conformist society and the desire to break through. Harrell is a unique talent.”
—The Guardian (UK)
“Harrell created a bold, joyful show that elevated the notion of runway movement as dance and household objects as couture. It was a sonic and visual delight.”
—The New York Times on Maggie The Cat
Acclaimed choreographer, dancer, and Guggenheim fellow Trajal Harrell has made a name for himself as one of the most important creators working today by generating captivating hybrid works rooted in art and dance history that reimagine our pasts and create spaces for different eras and philosophies to converge. By deftly interfacing the glorious pageantry and elaborate flourishes of the New York voguing scene and the guttural passion of the Japanese dance form butoh with modern and post-modern dance vocabulary, he has created a signature style that is both transcultural and futuristic with wide-ranging references and humor. The internationally admired and respected artist comes to the Armory for the North American premiere of his latest creation that lies at the intersection of dance, theater, history, fashion, and music.
This parade of expressiveness is as an homage to art as a free space for play and imagination, featuring a large cast of dancers and actors wearing more than 60 virtuosic looks designed by Harrell. Centered on a stunning Mondrian-like colored grid spanning the length of the performance area, this dancing runway show is turned on its head with iconography that juxtaposes everyday gestures and extravagant poses with historical references, pop culture, and political rhetoric. And while drawing on the Declaration of Independence as a foundation for the US and its urgent call for freedom, this vivid mosaic of a double-edged paradigm also explores the resulting inequalities to the forebearers of the land affected by those actions while celebrating the unifying power of community.
Related Event
Artist Talk: Trajal Harrell
Thursday, September 11, 2025 at 6:00pm
Tickets: $25 (plus fees)
North American Premiere
Creation, Choreography, Direction Trajal Harrell
Costume Design Trajal Harrell
Lighting Design Stéfane Perraud
Scenic Design Trajal Harrell, Erik Flatmo
Sound Design Trajal Harrell, Asma Maroof
Dramaturgy Laura Paetau, Tobias Staab
Public support is provided by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature as well as the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council under the leadership of Speaker Adrienne Adams.
Photo: Orpheas Emirzas
Return to Arts at the Armory Listing
Visit
September 9–20, 2025
Tuesday–Thursday at 7:30pm
Friday–Saturday at 8:00pm
Sunday at 3:00pm
Performance Details
Wade Thompson Drill Hall
View the seating chart.
This performance is approximately 2 hours with no intermission.
Tickets
Tickets start at $30 (plus fees)
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