KISSING FRIENDS

Greetings to all our family, friends, and supporters of Sheer Spectacle! We are Lily and Kali, the founders, directors and collaborative dreamers at the head of this dance theater company. We are truly grateful to our community for your unwavering support and belief in us. Your encouragement gives us the strength to make our work and efforts feel seen and appreciated!

A little bit about us and the company-

We began collaborating in 2018 while in school at The University of the Arts. In 2019/2020 we both received our BFA in dance from the university, under the direction of Donna Faye Burchfield.

Our developing research is in, "Drama as Action." We utilize voice performance alongside grandiose movement and queer intimacy to make performances embellished in expressionism and fantasy. Our work encourages viewers to carve out their insides and explore what makes them spectacles of their realities. We believe in the power of community and the importance of amplifying diverse voices in the Philadelphia area.

In January of 2022 we founded Sheer Spectacle, which is currently based out of Philadelphia, PA. Sheer Spectacle debuted their first performance, as a nine person company, to three sold out shows bringing in over 175 audience members in May of 2022. "Ripped Tights, Stoned Heart" was a completely self-produced event.

Our responsibilities as founders, directors and choreographers included managing the company, scheduling rehearsals, securing rehearsal space, scheduling performance dates, soliciting venues for performance, choreographing movement and phrases prior to rehearsals, video editing, music editing, costume design, finances, grant writing and festival applications. Other important responsibilities included the hiring of a graphic designer, set designer, sound designer, lighting designer, videographer and photographers.

From August-December 2022 we were commissioned by the University of the Arts to create a new work on third and fourth year undergraduate students. The 19-minute work, I Spit Out the Gold, researched triumphant wins and devastating losses inside of high pressure events.This past April, Sheer Spectacle made its NYC debut at the 92nd St Y. We were selected by Dante Puleio to share an excerpt of I Spit Out the Gold as part of the Future Dance Festival, curated by Taryn Kaschock Russell.

A message from Dante Puleio- “OK I don’t even know how to talk about or introduce this work, it is something that just must be experienced and that is why I chose it. It is a high energy and fantastical jolt of wildness. It is Red Bull meets high art meets pop culture at an Olympic sporting event. Lily and Kali take the gloves off and expose the inner workings of dedicating your life to something and what you win by losing and lose by winning. This piece is like a visual earworm, you will continue to see it long after it is over. So, without any further delay and I can’t believe I’m about to do this, but… let’s get ready to rumble with, I Spit Out the Gold." -Dante Puleio, Artistic Director of Limón Dance

Sheer Spectacle has been in process since February 2023 for our newest evening length work, Kissing Friends. This work will premier at Philadelphia’s Fringe Arts Festival, with support from the Cannonball Festival in September for four shows. Immediately following PhillyFringe, Sheer will be back in NYC to share Kissing Friends for Evolution Dance Festival at The Center at West Park’s Sanctuary Space for three more shows.

Kissing Friends is an intimate theatrical experience of storybook narrations spoken/created in collaboration with the cast. The movement and dialogue fold in and out of reality and daydreams inside the overarching container of friendship in relation to intimacy. As the show continues to unfold the audience acts as the performers’ inner psyche, a mirror reflecting our dreams back at us. The viewers will experience these stories, along with flashy movements in unison that will signify a strong sense of togetherness. Rituals will crescendo into an uproar to sounds by Noel Harrison, Celine Dion and several others. The audience might begin to ask themselves what's at stake for these friends? What is signified inside of an opening kiss? Singing, thrashing, yelling, slow-aborning affection, tensions running high and eruptive meltdowns take us to a place far from reality that may or may not be a dreamland.

This October, we have plans to create our first dance film as an extension to I Spit Out the Gold, build a website, design a monthly newsletter for our followers and supporters and add to our video archive on Vimeo. We also are in the process of starting Sheer Spectacle workshops and dance classes throughout the Philly area. It’s important to us to continue cultivating shared movement spaces for our community.

We are seeking support for the upcoming four shows at Cannonball Festival in Philadelphia and three shows at the Evolution Festival in NYC.

Just a quick note to let you know that all Sheer Spectacle artists and crew will receive payment, regardless of the outcome of this fundraiser.

Your generous donations will allow us to increase our efforts and make our work even more impactful. Thank you for supporting our vision and being a part of our community.

Choreographer/Dancer Support-

Cannonball Festival/Fringe Festival

-payment for four shows to each dancer

-reimbursement to be in the festival which was already paid by Lily and Kali

Evolution Festival

-Travel to NYC for the entire week being in residency at the Center at West Park.

-Meal stipends for each of our dancers.

-Airbnb cost for our dancers.

-Payment for three shows to each dancer.

Crew Support-

-Sound Designer: Brian Gianelos

-Set Designer: Genevive Farbe

-Photographer/Social Media: Bek Martin

-Videographer for Cannonball shows provided by the festival for an additional $300.

-Costume design/sourcing for Kissing Friends: Lily Mello, Kali Petrizzo and Jazmine Colon.

Get tickets for our Philly shows at Icebox Project Space.

September 4th @9:30pm

September 12th @8pm

September 17th @8pm and September 18th @5pm.

TICKETS FOR PHILLY

Get tickets for out NYC shows at the Center at West Park, Sanctuary Space.

September 29th @7:30pm

September 30 @3pm and 9pm

TICKETS FOR NYC

Love,

Lily & Kali

LINK TO I SPIT OUT THE GOLD