Barking Legs has a long history of bringing innovative performances to Chattanooga.

Performers we've hosted: David Grier, Mike Compton, Norman & Nancy Blake, Barbara Lamb, Andrew Bird, Three Ring Circle (Dave Pomeroy, Rob Ickes, Andy Leftwich), James & Rachel Bryan, Carl Jones, David Lindley, Gill Landry, Mad Tea Party, Bohola, the Murphy Brothers, James King, ROVA Saxophone Quartet, Butch Baldassari, Tommy Sands, Robin Bullock, Steve Baughman, Mad Tea Party, the everybodyfields, Nora O'Connor, Shaking Ray Levis, Eugene Chadbourne, Tim Graves, Dismembered Tennesseans, Tim Miller, Paul Bonin-Rodriguez, Jane Goldberg, Dan Zanes, Ralph's World, Peter Ostroushko, Bumblefoot, Johnny Hiland, Brock-McGuire Band, Chris Jones, Preston Reed, Davey Williams, LaDonna Smith, Del Rey, Steve James, John Reischman, Adrian Legg, Infamous Stringdusters, Biscuit Burners, Hit and Run Bluegrass, Shiftless Rounders, Malcolm Goldstein, Larry Keel Experience, Richard Leo Johnson, Allison Brown, Spencer Bohren, Jeff & Vida, Truckstop Honeymoon, Missy Raines, Jim Hurst, Tony Trischka, Russ Barenberg, Matt Glaser, the Grifters, Ruby Falls, Beppe Gambetta, Michael Cleveland, Christian Howes, Alex Skolnick, John Cowan, Claire Lynch, Cadillac Sky, Richard Smith, Noam Pikelny, Shadd Cobb, Kathy Chiavola, Lac La Belle, Ian Thomas, Sam Quinn & Japan 10, Caroline Doctorow, the Tiptons, Barbara Lamb, Angel Snow & Viktor Kraus and many more! If you've performed at the Legs, don't see your name and want to be listed, just let us know!

The following chronological list will give you a taste of some of our best moments from our early years.

The early years only are here (up until 2001), when dance and performance art ruled our roost... fascinating stuff. Now that music predominates, we've been unable to keep up the formal timeline, but see the list above!

	“Modern Dance on Film” April 2, 9, 16, 23 of ‘92 This was the first program for CoPAC. The series followed the historical thread which has lead to contemporary dance. It was truly the first opportunity for many Chattanoogans to experience the work of many of the major historical and contemporary figures in modern dance. The series included films like “Merce Cunningham: An introduction” and “Graham Technique by Bonnie Bird.” The program was in cooperation with the Hunter Museum and made possible by Allied Arts of Greater Chattanooga, The Batterie, Chattanooga Ballet, Dance Theatre Workshop, Girls Preparatory School, The School of Performing Arts at Chattanooga High School, and Linda Woodall.
	“Contact Improvisation” August 2 of ‘92 -This was an open workshop for anyone who could “jump, roll and fall.” Heitzso and Company, a dance group from Atlanta, taught the three hour workshop at the GPS dance studio.
	“The Gauntlet” September 20 of ‘92 The Little Theatre, now the Chattanooga Theatre Center, provided the Circle to promote the work of performing artists within the local area. “The Gauntlet” was a contemporary dance performance featuring Ann Law, Frank Hay, Cathie Kasch, Beth Markham, and David Wood. It also displayed the work of costume designer Sydney Roberts and technical director Keith Pugh.
	“Dance on Film” April 8, 16, 22, and 29 of ‘93 For the second year of the film series, CoPAC, the Hunter Museum, and Allied Arts brought a new batch of films to the Chattanooga area. The cinema included “Cage/ Cunningham”, “A Dancer’s World”, and “Sue’s Legs: Remembering the Thirties.”
	“The Tap Project” June 12 of ‘93 at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Fine Arts Center This performance was presented at a time when tap dancing was experiencing a great resurgence across the nation. Traditional and historic approaches to tap were represented through the musical genius of dancers Heather Cornell, Chuck Green, Jackie Shue, and Buster Brown, based in traditiona of jazz tap, jazz music, and New Dance/New Music. As well as solo and duet work, the performance included group material. Discussion of tap history and the stories behind the steps added to the event of sophisticated rhythm, humor, and style. There was also a film, “No Maps on My Taps”, at the Hunter Museum to introduce the performance. The project was made possible by CoPAC, the Chattanooga African-American Museum, and Allied Arts of Greater Chattanooga. -Community Outreach: The four artists held classes at the Dance Theater Workshop and at Phoenix III.
	Barking Legs Theater Grand Opening November 20 of ‘93 Finally CoPAC found a place to call home with the opening of the Barking Legs Theater. The night was packed with twenty acts ranging from performance art to contemporary dance to a jazz band. All the acts were works of local artists. The night was a wonderful success.
	Spring ‘94 (Don’t Mess with My Tutu) This season was sponsored in part by a grant from Allied Arts of Greater Chattanooga and from the National Endowment for the Arts through the Southern Arts Federation in partnership with the Tennessee Arts Commission.
	Tom and Sally January 15 of ‘94 Doug Cooney and Karen Stephens presented the story of Thomas Jefferson and his slave mistress Sally Hemings through their dance/theater piece. Previously shown at the Cleveland Performance Festival, the play searched the issues of racism, self-deception and social relations. The pair furthered the piece by interweaving their own identities with those of Jefferson and Hemings. -Community Outreach: The duo performed for Phoenix III at the school.
	Southern Women in Performance January 22 of ‘94 A trio of three southern women performed their art for the Chattanooga community for very educational evening. The group included Dale Andree, a choreographer from Miami, Susan Harvey, a performance artist from Rome, GA, and Alice Lovelace, a poet from Atlanta. -Community Outreach: Classes were taught for Family and Children Services.
	Hoopsnake February 4 and 5 of ‘94 Hoopsnake was a delightful contemporary dance interpretation of the same mythical folk creature. The collaboration brought together composer Nancy Blake, choreographer Ann Law, costume designer Sydney Roberts and visual artist Jas Sullivan, all local artists. It was also performed by the Barking Legs Company.
	Portables February 18 and 19 of ‘94 New York choreographer/performance artist Clair Porter created her solo piece, “Portables”, about abstract aesthetic experience with delicate references to everyday life. The show was performed through dances that were based on “wickedly funny” gestures (Village Voice). - Community Outreach: Clair Porter gave a workshop with the Tennessee Association of Dance.
	Latindo March 5 of ‘94 At the time, recently premiered in New York City, George Emilio Sanchez’s newest solo performance brought a exotic, “pre-civilized” view from an Ecuadorian Indian, dealing with identity through movement, music and spoken word. -Community Outreach: Mr. Sanchez participated in a three day residency at the Baylor School.
	Contact Improvisation April 9 of ‘94 This was an evening of “in the air”, “on the floor” and “over the edge” dancing be created from moment to moment in front of the audience by dancers Ann Law, Sycamore, and Heitzso. The performance was the culmination of a workshop the pervious day.
	Why I live At the PO April 16 of ‘94 This original adaptation, one-woman performance, featured Chattanooga artist Neva Howell. It was based on hilarious short story about sibling rivalry, love quarrels and family squabbles by southern writer Eudora Welty. Miss Welty’s work was adapted once before but used a full cast.
	1 Million Butterflies April 23 of ‘94 -New York City’s Stephen Belber, writer/actor, presented his standup comedy routine to the Barking Legs community in a wildly funny night. The set was a collage of wayward, riotous, and savage characters spread across America amidst one man’s search for his brother.
	Rhythm and Schmooze May 7 of ‘94 -Jewish comedian/tap dance Jane Goldberg, from New York City, has been described as “a cross between a frumpy Bette Midler and Woody Allen after a sex-change operation.” She was a pioneer of the tap movement during the 1970s and was featured in the film “Tap” with Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis Jr. The show combined tap and comedy all wrapped up in her life and dance.
	Son of a White Man May 14 of ‘94 -Nashville native Ed Haggard is a veteran actor of the stage, screen, and television. He preformed his poetic, provocative, and comical one man show, which was saturated with sex, music, and surprises. The piece consisted of two dozen short sketches all fitting together to explore one man’s life. “Son of a White Man” successfully balanced the serious content, imparting his message, and the wild comedy.
	Fall ‘94 (Cracking the Whip) Funding: The entire season was made possible by grants from Allied Arts of Greater Chattanooga, The Lyndhurst Foundation, and from the National Endowment for the Arts through the Southern Arts Federation in Partnership with the Tennessee Arts Commission.
	Barking Legs Salon Sep 12, Oct. 3, Nov. 7, and Dec, 5 of ‘94 The Barking Legs Salon met the first Monday of every month. It was an open forum for the youthful thinker to exchange ideas, expose all types of art and, in turn, be introduced to the art and ideas of others. The forum included prose and poetry readings, performances, lectures and demonstrations, video and film screenings. The salon was hosted by Mike McGonigal, the publisher of Chemical Imbalance and Yeti, international journals featuring experimental material from all art areas. This project was truly the essence of community outreach. The salon gave Chattanooga a place and an opportunity to experience a new way of talking to each other and a multitude of new subjects to talk about.
	Descendants September 24 of ‘94 SheHeYouWe were five choreographer/performers with five distinct cultural origins (from Argentina to Guyana) and aesthetic perspectives. Based in New York City, they were at the time collaborating on “Descendants”, a dance theater piece which created images of a future in which we’d like our descendants to live. Through solo and group performances, “Descendants” emphasized that personal issues affect all of us, regardless of race, gender, class, or sexual orientation. -Community Outreach: The group of performers shared their collaboration with the students at East Lake Middle School. There were also classes as both GPS and Phoenix III.

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