DCDanceBlog

By Gretchen Dunn 

Kefa Cafe turns into Salon 7:10 a few Fridays a month under the  guidance/sponsorship of Kyi May Kaung with Amy Kinkaid.  A couple of  months ago I was asked to do a solo I had developed in the Fall ‘06 for Fieldwork.  Friday, April 27 was the performance.  I don’t want to  talk about the piece, but about the experience and the space at Kefa. 

The floor is ceramic tile; there is a door-shaped mirror in the  corner.  The  space I used was shaped like an isosceles triangle: 6′  at the wide end, the right-angled leg was about 14′.  Seating  capacity was about 18, with some folks on the floor, and perhaps  others were standing.  There is a large uncurtained window facing the  street directly across from the main dance area.  Performing in this  small space forced greater specificity in the work. 

I arrived around 4:30 and began to set up, finding an outlet for the  boombox.  Abeba and Lene, the Ethiopian proprietors, arranged the  chairs, took out three of the tables (I used the two that were left  to hide my clothes, purse, etc. under).  Abeba swept and mopped the  floor.

I changed my clothes in the bathroom, the door of which is part of  the 14′ right-angled leg.  Amy had brought a curtain to hang in the  doorway to the main part of the coffee shop which provided visual  privacy .  After a run-through in the space, I sat myself down in a  far corner of the main coffee shop and waited.  From that vantage I  could see people coming in, but most of them did not see me.  Kyi  greeted them and ushered them into the space.  When it was time, she  briefly introduced me and afterwards led an informal discussion with  Amy about the work. 

From this performer’s perspective it was a very supportive container for showing work. 

Kefa Cafe has excellent coffee, light food and excellent pastry and  ice cream.  It is the only coffee shop where I will eat the pastry!