House of Dangerkat brings its work to new heights in Calgary.
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Fun fact: For a few weeks in 1967, during its construction, the Calgary Tower was the tallest structure in Canada, but it was trounced by the Toronto-Dominion Centre before it could even open its doors.
These days, surrounded by imposing skyscrapers, it’s mostly just tourists who make the trek to the tower’s peak. This month, however, the House of Dangerkat is hoping that will change.
Known best for its unique fusion of fashion and dance, the House of Dangerkat is an urban arts collective that encompasses photography, video, music and visual art. The collective’s name stems from the tradition of fashion houses. “Voguing is a style of dance based on taking a 2-D picture out of Vogue magazine and transplanting it onto the runway, putting the poses into your body,” says founder Kaiti Dangerkat. “Since we work in fashion and voguing culture, it just made sense to have a House.”
The House has been making waves in Calgary since 2007, appearing in dance festivals, fashion shows and even a guerrilla-style performance at the First St. S.W. underpass. Those showcases have given audiences a taste, but at this year’s Slammenberry Jam Urban Dance Festival, the House of Dangerkat will be on full display in its new show, Addicted.
“Think of it like an art gallery opening,” says Dangerkat. “There will be stuff happening all evening: videos, photography, live art, fashion, music and the main show is performed at 10 and 11 p.m.. There will be lots of eye candy, more than just dancing. I want to change people’s ideas of what a dance show can be.”
For one thing, unlike most dance shows, Addicted will take place in the upper deck of the Calgary Tower. “My first instinct was to take the show outside of a theatre, because House of Dangerkat includes so many different types of artists and I wanted a space that was appropriate to show their work,” says Dangerkat. “Normally when you go to a theatre, there’s a fourth wall between audience and performer. There’s something different about being face-to-face with your audience, without a boundary. When you’re right in people’s faces, you connect with them a lot more.”
Though the show is called Addicted, Dangerkat is quick to point out that it’s not about drugs. The addiction, in this case, is to a lifestyle. “What you see onstage is what we’re always doing,” says Dangerkat. “There’s no line between work and life. We were brought together by our passions and we’re making new work all the time because it’s what we do for fun.”
This performance is a homecoming for Dangerkat, an alumnus of the Alberta College of Art and Design, after six months of jet-setting across North America and Europe and a series of high-profile performances in Paris and New York. “When Barbie turned 50, there was a huge party in Paris,” says Dangerkat. “We performed as Barbie and the Rockers, so I was done up exactly like the doll in the ’80s. The wig was so big, it gave me the worst headache ever. It was an amazing opportunity; people in Europe seem to respond to us very well.”
Despite the distance, Dangerkat kept up her collaborations with Calgary artists during her travels. “Even though we’re all around the world, we’re still able to make work,” she says. “With the Internet and Skype, it’s really not a problem.” In fact, Addicted was created in New York City, where it had a nightclub debut in August. “It’s really exciting to do this show in Calgary,” says Dangerkat. “We’re bringing it all home and showing how we’ve grown.”
Between wild fashion, fierce dancers and a view of Calgary’s night-lit cityscape, Addicted promises to bring a decidedly different vibe to the city’s most recognizable landmark. Is it time to indulge your inner tourist? Then take a madcap elevator ride to a high-flying night of urban artistry.
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