An adults-only show that stages dance and all things local art, Kabaret Falschtanz is a bit naughty, but not burlesque-bawdy

Kabaret Falschtanz
8 p.m. Sunday
Maker's Piano Bar & Cigar Lounge
25 S. Oklahoma
590-7259
Free

Oklahoma City's first and only adult cabaret performance troupe, Kabaret Falschtanz, will showcase its unique mix of dance, comedy, music and theater Sunday night at its monthly show at Maker's Piano Bar & Cigar Lounge.

The troupe was founded five years ago by local dancer, performance artist and teacher Lynna Schneider when Pseudodance, the dance company she started a year priot, was asked to perform at Individual Artists of Oklahoma's annual "Biting the Apple" art show. It was a perfect opportunity for Schneider to showcase the more adult-oriented material she had been working on.

"The dances were inspired by German cabaret from the 1920s and '30s, so for that performance, Pseudodance became Kabaret Falschtanz "? German for 'fake dance cabaret,'" she said. "The work was a hit, so I took it and ran."

Today, Pseudodance and Kabaret Falschtanz, coexist and share members, but each caters to different audiences, with the former being appropriate for all ages, and the latter an 18-and-over affair.

Schneider, a modern-dance graduate student at the University of Oklahoma, is well-known in the local arts community having done work with several galleries, arts organizations and performance troupes. When she co-founded Pseudodance with former co-director Kelly Griffin, the intention was an experimental group focused on creating interdisciplinary performance art.

"Our goal was to enhance and encourage collaborative relationships between all art forms," she said. "As artists, we have so much we can learn from each other. It was also our desire to challenge the standard of beauty. My dancers are all shapes and sizes."

Schneider said that the dancers range from experienced professionals to enthusiastic amateurs.

"I believe it is very important to provide opportunities to young dancers, artists and choreographers to develop their craft," she said. "You never know what will come of it."

Schneider feels a close relationship with her dancers.

"They have been with me through thick and thin," she said. "I have asked them to do some pretty crazy stuff, and while they may think I am insane, they do it anyway."

In addition to the dancers, Kabaret Falschtanz performances feature a diverse lineup of talent that includes the state's first all-female improv troupe, The MiDolls; actor and tap dancer Scott Hynes; The Hartel Dance Group; emcee Craig "Moose Ondaluce" Alleman; performance artist and balloon sculptor Troy Scott; and house band, Der Blaue Engel, comprised of Todd Plunkett and Holly Moorad.

"I have been honored recently with an influx of performers and technicians are interested in our show, but I am always looking for more artists to work with," Schneider said. "There is an audition process that includes a submitted proposal of the artist's ideas and an interview. Dancers must take classes with the company."

Kabaret Falschtanz also performs at private and public functions, and has done a series of fundraisers for local charities The H.A.L.O. Foundation and Other Options Inc., Friends Food Pantry.

An important note for newcomers is that Kabaret Falschtanz is not a burlesque troupe. While Schneider is supportive of the burlesque revival of recent years and the local troupes that practice the art of striptease, she's interested in fostering a different kind of atmosphere where artists can come to the shows and paint, write, draw and share ideas, and where audiences can come have a drink and mix with people they might not otherwise hang out with.

"Our audience is very important to us. I feel a great obligation to entertain them, but also to introduce them to potential friends and colleagues," she said. "You never know what will happen or who you will meet at one of our shows." "?Eric Webb

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