Barking Legs has a long history of bringing innovative performances to Chattanooga. The following chronological list will give you a taste of some of our best moments.

  Chattanooga Poetry Slam
October 3 of ‘98
Fabulous Poets! Fabulous Prizes! This entertaining night of poetry began with open mike and improvisation poetry. The rapid-fire competition was open to all poets with the simple rule- “Leave your ego at the door.”
  “Limbs and Longevity”: A CoPAC and TAD presentation
October 16 & 17 of ‘98
This performance showcased the works of experienced dancers and explored the inter-related processes of creating and maturing in many different styles of dance. The program reflected the extraordinary talent of the nationally-acclaimed dance professionals from across the state.
Tom Kirby and Friends: “The Freak Engine”
October 31 of ‘98
A variety show from HELL! Featured performance art, theater improvisation, dance and torturous human experiments from Memphis, Tennessee. And if that wasn’t enough, a late night dance party was offered to all those that survived.
  Rebecca Gose, Mark Lamb, and Ann Law: “3 Dancers Dancing”
November 7 of ‘98
Three soloist from Knoxville, Nashville, and Chattanooga presented new modern and post-modern dance that challenged the audience’s sense of physical possibility. It was a rare opportunity to experience these three electrifying dancers in one performance. Eye-popping, spine-tingling, hair-raising, bone-chilling, toe-curling dance!
Barking Legs Theater “Semi-Decade Anniversary Blowout”
November 21 of ‘98
Chattanooga’s most infamous annual twisted variety show! Cast of thousands! Singing Fleas! Dancing Dogs! Flying Grandmas! And Much, Much More!
  CoPAC and the Shaking Ray Levi Society: “Southern Edge”
December 5 of ‘98
Chattanooga was invited for an evening of the most innovative improvisational dance and music from across the state and the southeast. This acclaimed group of performers included some of the original champions of the national improvisational art movement. Even Fred Thompson wouldn’t have missed this earth-shaking meeting of the maestros!
  Spring 1999 Season (Tennessee: The Real Movers and Shakers- The Sequel)
“ Grandmas in Tennis Shoes”
March 20 of ‘99
The Dance Troupe of the University of Memphis gave a performance that transcended time and art forms like no other performance that season. Six dancers united the past and the present in a combination of music, movement and memories.
  “How Sweet the Sound”
Last two weekend in April of ‘99
This unique addition to the season was a playwright festival. A series of five one-act plays explored everything from relationships to breast cancer to religion as seen through the eyes of southern women. This project was funded in part by Allied Arts of Great Chattanooga and the Tennessee Arts Commission.
  “Project Moon”
May 8 of ‘99
This modern dance group from Memphis was a lightening storm of movement and activity that was both physically challenging and emotionally engaging.
  “Next Year in Sodom (or Elijah’s Revenge)
May 15 of ‘99
The Eggplant Faeries performed their circus-paced comedy and murder mystery to finish the season with a trip. This satire of the ancient family tradition of eating your way through religious gatherings to avoid discussing politics and sexuality had the audience bursting with laughter.
Banging Bamboozles and Strings on a Thing, Dancers Dancing with Musical Things
October 1 & 2 of ‘99
Barking Legs Theater presented Lela Performance Group and Orbacles & Orbitones. Straight from memories of Dr. Seuss, young and old alike marveled at the ingenuity of strange instruments as they twisted, lunged and hurled their way through this extraordinary experience.
Tim Miller: “Shirts and Skin”
September 3 & 4 of ‘99
Based on his book by the same name, Tim Miller’s “Shirts and Skin” translated one gay man’s life and the struggles he had encountered. His history emerged from the clothes Miller brought on stage with him. They worked as metaphors for the different stages of his life.. According to Miller, “You can really learn something about someone by looking at their clothes line.” The performance piece was a provocative look at gay life, past and present, and the evolution of the gay community over the past two decades. The LA Times wrote that “Shirts and Skin” was a “wickedly funny and often painfully honest piece.”
Ingeborg Weinmann: “Don’t Look, Don’t Ask”
December 3 & 4 of ‘99
Don’t Look, Don’t Ask” was a solo theater piece with music and song, portraying three generations of women in their confrontation with the memories of a fascist regime and its atrocities: the Holocaust. The piece was based on the author’s experience of growing up in the shadow of Nazi Germany. Much of the material was derived from interviews with Weinmann’s mother and grandmother. Weinmann plays four different characters- an old woman, a middle aged woman and a young contemporary folk/rock singer, as well as a Nazi Party official. The music was performed live by Tim White.
Tennessee Dance Summit
January 7 & 8 of ‘00
This conference hosted professional dancers, teachers, presenters, administrators, and choreographers. It was a rare opportunity to network, consult with peers, to renew and reinforce professional collaborations and working relationships, and to engage in open group dialogue about new projects, survival tips, and continuing education. It stretched over one weekend and included three delicious meals at the Renaissance Commons.
Tennessee Dance Theater
March 31 and April 1 of ‘00
Tennessee Dance Theater created modern dance and theater productions that have the stamp of the South with its characteristic mixture of polite grace, down-to-earth foot stomping, and self-deprecating humor. Through a blending of dance, theater, and song, this highly talented dance ensemble brought hallelujahs and heartaches to the Barking Leg’s stage.
  CoPAC’s Earth 2000
May 3-5 of ‘00
This project had three phases: 1) workshops and creation, 2) improvisation rehearsals, and 3) performance. During the first phase, components from Beacon Dance’s Earth 1999, presented in Atlanta, adapted for an alternative, public site, using performing artists form both Atlanta and Chattanooga. Patton White, the Project Director, facilitated the performers’ interaction with students, during ten school performances. Questions to begin the dialogue included where did you grow up, and how would you describe your relationship to those places, and how do we experience the earth through all the senses. The creative process continued into the improvisational phase, and the performing artists, including the professional dancers, visual artists, a composer, and musicians, interpreted the earth stories during public rehearsals on-site, to create one original performance art piece in layers, using multi-media, a thematic and prosaic text, original music and powerful visual imagery.
  4-Way Crossing
June 23-25 of ‘00
4-Way Crossing looked deep into the hearts and souls of 4 local profeesional choreographers whose paths have unexpectedly crossed for the first time. The audience watched as choreographers Victoria Dunn, Elizabeth Longphre, Ellen Rosa, and Asha Williams learned about one another and worked together to create a performance about women, desires, frustrations, and beliefs. It was dramatic, comical and just plain fun.
CORE Performance Company in “Remembering”
October 20 & 21 of ‘00
CoPAC presented CORE Performance Company, the professional dance company within Several Dancers Core. The company focused on the ongoing development of the artistic process through the creation of new work. Made up of individual artists, the company performed new choreography that evolved through experimentation, improvisation, and collaborations with artists from different mediums. Through an active performing schedule in Houston, Atlanta, and on tour, the company was committed to education people of diverse ages and communities about their own creative potential.
  Ray McNiece: Performance Poet
February 8 of ‘01
Ray McNiece performed an evening of works including excerpts from “The Road that Carried me Here” and his award winning solo theater piece “US?-Talking Across America.” Winner of two National Poetry Slams, McNiece is “a modern day descendent of Woody Gutherie.”
Forget Hell!
March 30 & 31 and April 6 & 7 of ‘01
This was an unforgettable performance showcase of local artists (Brain Cagle, Lee Henderson, Ann Law, Dennis Palmer, and Juanita Tumelaire) and their contemporary interpretations of the “War Between the States.” This multi-media cabaret featured original dance, music, spoken word, video, and theater from Chattanooga’s most innovative artists. “Forget Hell!” challenged how the audience viewed the South in this Crash ‘n Burn course in Chattanooga’s history.

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