July 9, 2003

Lawrence Goldhuber Brings When the World Smells Like Bacon and Other Works to MASS MoCA

(North Adams, Mass.) While professional dancers are usually known for their slight, muscular build, as a dancer Lawrence Goldhuber breaks all boundaries and stereotypes. Trained as an actor at Boston University and later as a dancer with Bill T. Jones, Lawrence Goldhuber uses his size and talent to weave his life struggles into graceful dance. Goldhuber comes to MASS MoCA on Saturday, August 9, at 8 P.M. to perform his original dance/theater piece When the World Smells Like Bacon and Other Works. Jennifer Dunning of The New York Times says, "Mr. Goldhuber turns everyday topics into charmingly unassuming, first-rate theater with a surprising edge of poignancy."

Goldhuber opens the evening with When the World Smells Like Bacon, a confessional monologue delivered while dancing and cooking bacon for a BLT sandwich on stage. Although humorous, Goldhuber introduces the audience to struggles that he must endure, most of which stem from his heritage and weight. He paints a self-portrait through dialogue and dance of how these particular qualities have affected his career. Even while his weight is psychologically troublesome, it has also been a tremendous asset. As Goldhuber once explained to an angry director, "I know I'm not the greatest dancer in the world. I just know I'm the only 350-pound guy out there doing it!"

With the compelling biographical nature of the first work, subsequent pieces encourage more meaning than dance can convey alone. The mood and emotion that are portrayed move the audience to an understanding of life they may not have had before. Other works such as Soy (I am) features Goldhuber as a peasant woman doing chores to the mournful voice of Lola Beltran. In one solo, Goldhuber reminds the audience of how Bill T. Jones featured him as King Kong in Love Defined. "Dance demands the best of us: it demands that we be generous and be brave," Jones says. "When they see Larry on stage, people have to reevaluate what dance is and what we (dancers) are, because dance is a microcosm."

Tickets to When the World Smells like Baconand Other Works are $12 in advance or $15 the day of the show. MASS MoCA members get 10% off. Tickets are available through the MASS MoCA Box Office located on Marshall Street in North Adams from 10 A.M. until 6 P.M. daily. Tickets can also be charged by phone by calling 413.662.2111 during Box Office hours or online at www.massmoca.org at any time of day.

MASS MoCA, the largest center for contemporary visual and performing arts in the United States, is located off Marshall St. in North Adams on a 13-acre campus of renovated 19th-century factory buildings.

For Immediate Release
Contact: Katherine Myers
(413) 664-4481 x8113
katherine@massmoca.org