Hackney Showroom Associate Artist, Malik Nashad Sharpe will premiere two works as a part of Joy & Dissent, a festival built around cultural activism.

SAD KING is a solo choreography backdropped by The Hague-based producer Yespinkpink & yesyes. Built with physical investigations and the removal of surface-level, imagastic choreographic material, SAD KING is a rather grandeur attempt to find politically relevant fodder by eroding form. Particularly invested in expanding the aesthetics of joyousness for the allostatically loaded body, SAD KING starts somewhere and ends up somewhere tangential, calling attention to the juxtaposition of disappearance, removal, distance and joyousness.

SAD KING was made in conversation with NYC-choreographer Tere O'Connor, and has been supported by Hackney Showroom, and CLOUD at Danslab. It premiered in New York City, as a part of Submerge 2016: will you? at Brooklyn Arts Exchange, and the BRIC Biennial at Five Myles Gallery.

$elfie$ (Work-in-Process)

"$elfie$” is a solo choreography that is built with a desire against nationalism. By seeking an aesthetic space that conjures choreographic pluralism, "$elfie$" arrives at a critical juncture where identity under resurgent nationalism takes new meaning, and where aesthetics become loose, sloppy, messy, and sometime illegible. Primarily an interrogation of this current political moment, and reflective of the ruthless state of affairs for the many millions of us, this work primarily seeks materiality that is far, far, far, far, far removed from the failed hypernationalist project in all of its covert/overt forms.

About Joy & Dissent Festival:

What does joyousness look like as a political performance strategy? Can joy or beauty be radical forms of protest? Or should resistance by its very nature be painful? Come and MEGA-LOL in the face of adversity or simply sob-chuckle into your laps. Let us bask in the light, plight and darkness of these incredible artists as they attempt to illuminate and embolden us. Curated by Hackney Showroom Artistic Director Sam Curtis Lindsay and Associate Artist Malik Nashad Sharpe, Joy & Dissent is an exuberant festival of live performance across dance, comedy, drag, spoken word, live art, physical theatre & workshops. ……………………………………………………………………………………….

COMPETITION: Win 1x pair of tickets to attend Sad King // $elfies at Hackney Showroom on 8th April at 19:30. To enter the competition, send an email to ava@run-riot.com with the correct answer in the ‘subject’ line. The winner will be randomly selected.

Q: Which decade was the abbreviation ‘LOL’ to stand for Laughing Out Loud, first claimed to be used in?

A: .1) 2000s .2) 1970s .3) 1990s .4) 1980s