Salt Lick Labyrinth is an ongoing performance and collective created by Gabriel Chalfin-Piney-González : The group is the salt lick, the labyrinth is the stage. The source material is from adapted aspects of the Christian labyrinths as applied to the Tza'ad Temani, a Jewish dance ritual, which uses the walking action of the labyrinth pathway as a suggested choreography and personal pilgrimage.
A major element of the outdoor labyrinth is maintenance. This can take the form of weeding, washing and/or sweeping. In their previous performance work, Gabriel has adapted handles and broom brushes as performance objects. These adapted performance objects have harkened back to the cleaning of the labyrinth. As an interactive set and communal performance object each performer cleaned the “labyrinth” and each other, the performance intended to foreground play—ending with a gentle mooning of the audience—diverting from the seriousness too often associated with performance art and contemporary dance.
June 15 2023 at Chicago Athletic Hotel presented by YUCK
Performers: Golaleh Yazdani, Isabella Limosnero, Kristen Bernier, Courtney Mackedanz, Chad Kouri, Amira Hegazy, Fabrizzio Subia, Gabriel Chalfin-Piney
Photos by Loren Rozewski