Exhibition Activation: House of Kenzo Performance

House of Kenzo is a bleeding edge art collective of dancers, designers, musicians, choreographers, and multimedia artists from San Antonio, Texas. Using personal examinations to explore diverse motifs, the group has developed a unique contemporary take on how experimental theater informs experimental movement. Their provocative and eclectic performance style draws inspirations from the teachings of Martha Graham, robotic movements, protests, the politics of death, and Fernand Léger’s frenetic avant-garde 1924 film, Ballet mécanique. This program is co-presented by Contrast Film Festival, and will include the premiere of House of Kenzo’s new short film by Jeremy von Stilb.

House of Kenzo is a multidisciplinary art collective that has firmly planted their stilettos in a multitude of fields. Expression, exploration, awareness, and individuality are the cornerstones with which the collective was built. Blending jaw-dropping dance moves from such disciplines as modern, freestyle, vogue, contact improv, and contemporary hip-hop, the group chants mantras at the audience, inviting them to join into communal and cathartic dance exposition. The collective is dedicated to exploring fearless expression in order to help realize awareness with movement and decriminalize our bodies by breaking down arbitrary boundaries. Each member brings a unique view, sound, look, and motion to each performance.

House of Kenzo has heralded a transformation in the landscape of the DIY scene in Texas, opening portals for radical expression. Performances are informed by musical influences ranging from metal to ballroom to hardcore to experimental ambient and avant-garde cuts swelling with distortion and melding seamlessly into the experimental noise frontiers of their home label, Halcyon Veil.