Squick Game

Friday evening, I went to Buddies In Bad Times Theatre for a performance by the TDT (Toronto Dance Theatre). I don't go to many productions at this venue yet it felt different than before. First, there must have been recent renovations. Both the washrooms and the copious graffiti looked new. Was it really subversive if you provide the permanent markers by the sinks? Second, I mistook Tallulah's for the stage and was intrigued that I might witness a recital in a casual bar atmosphere.

When we were led into the actual performance space, it was laid out in a U-shape runway. The audience sat on either sides all along its entire length. Both sacred (Chinese deities) and ironic (a Chinese checkers board, plastic kung-fu swords) objects decorated the room. I wondered how many people noticed the runway was made up of Buddhist swastikas?

The premise of Make Banana Cry was to confront Western ideas of "Asian-ness" (expectations and stereotypes). Over the sound of helicopters (i.e., The Vietnam War), the performers began walking the runway while completely covered in winter gear. Was that a nod to Canadian weather or a comment on how Asians seemed "indistinguishable" and looked alike? The sound collage throughout the show included movie snippets (In The Mood For Love theme, Bruce Lee's "be like water"), short segments of songs from various Asian countries, and then longer and longer clips of problematic Western songs: China Girl (David Bowie), Mr Roboto (Styx), Turning Japanese (The Vapors), Les Chinois (Mitsou), One Night In Bangkok (Murray Head). The dancers strutted with less and less clothes, more and more kitschy accessories (takeout containers, poop emoji hats), and played up various stereotypes: photo-obsessed tourist, nail technician, cat girl. Near the end, they formed an eye-watering "dancing lion" from some Shein nightmare.

I enjoyed parts of this show especially near the end. But overall, there were several problems. First, to misquote a cartoon character: "there's too much prancing and not enough dancing". Second, many of the songs and images seemed dated. Most of the audience were young and might have found them "cringe" but wouldn't have an emotional response. Finally, unlike Black culture and identity, Asian-Canadians are still a loose assemblage of people, usually with stronger ties to their specific ethnicities (Japanese, Vietnamese, and so on). Yes, the white majority impose certain traits or expectations onto "Asians" but at the same time, the stereotypes may not resonate at a personal. A 21st century Korean student would likely shrug if told that "Chinese people own laundromats".