Above Chinatown Poetry Readings
Putinoika: A Celebration of Poetry, Dance, and Design
October 30, 2024 @ 7:00pm to 8:30pm
Above Chinatown
75 East Broadway #201, NY, NY, 10002
Free and open to the public.
Come preview The Putinoika Collection by Roi du Lac
Inspired by poet extraordinaire Giannina Braschi
Special Performance by Shoko Tamai
About the Event:
On October 30, 2024 at 7pm, Above Chinatown hosts a celebration of poetry, dance, and design in honor of the publication of Giannina Braschi’s magnus opus Putinoika. The contemporary design collective Roi du Lac transforms a vintage boutique in Chinatown into a whimsical pop-up installation where it previews its Putinoika Collection of blouses, scarves, and trays, featuring Braschi’s characters the Muses of Bacchus, the Putinas of Putin, and the Rites of the Maenads dancing euphorically in a magical, mystical space. There will also be a live dance performance be choreographer Shoko Tomai, founder of Ninja Ballet.
About Giannina Braschi’s New Book Putinoika:
PUTINOIKA by poet extraordinare Giannina Braschi is a multi-genre epic about frenzy and plague in the era of Putin and Trump. Inspired by the ancient Greek tragedies, PUTINOIKA unfolds in three-parts: Palinode, Bacchae, and Putinoika. In a world flooding with collusion, delusion, and pollution, hope not only stands its ground in PUTINOIKA, but it also elevates us to higher realms with exhilarating new literary forms, poetic expressions, and a renewed faith in creativity. PUTINOIKA insists that poets, philosophers, and lovers have the capacity to create on a scale greater than society’s capacity to destroy. If Waiting for Godot is a threnody of hope in the atomic age, PUTINOIKA is the “Invictus” we were waiting for after the global pandemic. It is available thru FlowerSong Press, Amazon, or any online publisher.
About ABOVE CHINATOWN:
Above Chinatown, founded by Alfredo Bove, is a vintage fashion boutique that offers one-of-a-kind pieces for fans and collectors of Versace, Moschino, Vivienne Westwood, Jean Paul Gaultier, Miss Sixty, and many Y2K gems. It is located on the 2nd floor of an inconspicuous Chinatown mall under the Manhattan Bridge at 75 East Broadway. It is open 7 days per week.
About The Putinoika Collection:
Giannina Braschi’s iconic writings have long inspired other poets, artists, writers, designers, composers, cartoonists, photographers, and theorists across disciplines, genres, and countries. The Putinoika Collection by Roi du lac is the first high fashion application of Braschi’s radical texts—and the first adaptation of her new work Putinoika. Roi du lac is “Italian at heart, French by name with a Scottish heritage”. They produce hand painted wallpaper, silk shirts, scarves, and homeware.
About the Performer Shoko Tamai:
Japanese-Korean choreographer Shoko Tamai is the founder of the Ninja Ballet. She has performed at venues such as London’s Royal Opera House, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, The Theatre Royal in Glasgow, Lincoln Center, and Jacob’s Pillow. She has presented her choreography at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, developed immersive theater experiences in a cave in Mexico, and produced shows in collaboration with traditional Japanese musicians and calligraphers in Tokyo.
Free and open to the public.
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