By Chloe Kinnahan
Attack Theatre’s latest performance, Some Assembly Required, an evening that journeyed through the Warhol Museum, allowed audience members a wide window into the process behind creating movement art. Beyond simply being a enjoyable evening overall, this experience offered a rare breakdown of how dance/movement pieces are constructed, from foundation to full structure— the process by which inspiration grows into something whole and meaningful. 
For dancers, it was an exciting opportunity to relate to or draw new inspiration from a familiar artistic process, and for non-dancers, Some Assembly Required was a welcoming opportunity to better understand and participate in an art form that can so often seem exclusive.
As always with Attack Theatre, a warm and welcoming atmosphere was alive and well before the show even started. An interactive show, Attack’s directors Michele de la Reza and Peter Kope led us from the theater, to the sixth floor, to the fourth, and finally back down the lobby. Along with their assembly of five brilliant dancers and two gifted and creative musicians, they asked audience members to help them create a brand-new piece, allowing us to influence what came together and observe how a strategic thread of movement is woven together, ending with a final full product.
Some Assembly Required merges visual art with musical/ movement composition and choreography. After de la Reza facilitated an exuberant conversation about two specific pieces of art (White Burning Car III, Warhol 1963 and Chairs/African, 1984 Warhol and Basquiat), we saw that conversation evolve into a clay with which the directors, musicians, and dancers could work together to mold and build into something new. The natural ease with which the dancers and musicians worked together was one of the more notable parts of the evening— a wordless yet seamless conversation. The performers, Drew 
As I said before, the world of dance can often come off as “exclusive” or foreign. I often come across people who don’t think they’re interested in dance because they don’t understand it or have experience, but they love to move and dance in normal life. This performance specifically reminded me of what I tell them, which is that dance can be for everyone and there isn’t only one way to go about it.
With Some Assembly Required, Attack Theatre created a platform for andyone and everyone to participate in dance in an open environment, full of art and creativity, through actual communication and conversation. Not only that, but the experience exemplified how various art forms can work together— in this case, dance, music, and visual art. A piece that has been in the works and evolving in the lives of Michele de la Reza and Peter Kope, Some Assembly Required is a work that’s unique in many ways, but specifically in that it offers so much openness to creativity and collaboration that it’s possibilities could be endless.
Catch Attack’s upcoming events, The Get Down at Spirit in Lawrenceville on November 1st, followed later that month by The Kitchen Sink at the New Hazlett in the Northside November 15-17.
For tickets and more information about Attack Theatre’s 25th Season, visit their site.
Categories: Archived Reviews