A D R I A N W O O D
Battle Royale for the Soul of Our Country
This is a 1-hour durational performance in which six dancers wearing headphones create a colorful disruption to satirize the vision of a ‘culture war.’ These dancers comprise a flaccid would-be paramilitary that wiggles and glitters, laughing at polemics. This dance party comes one year after the Washington Post published leaked text messages invoking a ‘battle royale for the soul of UVA and a microcosm of what must happen across America to save the soul of our country.’ It aims to disrupt the day-to-day campus bustle with unexpected invitations for audience members to take themselves less seriously.
In collaboration with the Institute for Improvisational Infrastructures/Conrad Cheung, for
A Countercommons (The Trouble with Trouble), April 2024
![IMG_2493.HEIC](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/1621e5_55ef195e4b67488aafee689b9e15b807~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_620,h_401,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/IMG_2493_HEIC.png)
![IMG_2504.HEIC](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/1621e5_98f0bcdc830b419ca660d168fa19e094~mv2.png/v1/crop/x_394,y_280,w_3251,h_2364/fill/w_620,h_451,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/IMG_2504_HEIC.png)
![IMG_2510.HEIC](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/1621e5_31b250e027a041f89865c5ebf6332351~mv2.png/v1/crop/x_40,y_383,w_3226,h_2347/fill/w_620,h_451,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/IMG_2510_HEIC.png)
![disco14.jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/1621e5_daf1f4ec654d4bc6bf2e022b463b21a1~mv2.jpg/v1/crop/x_1283,y_790,w_2933,h_2134/fill/w_620,h_451,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/disco14.jpg)
![IMG_2547.HEIC](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/1621e5_8752627a72384e56aa9fd62c621268c3~mv2.png/v1/crop/x_241,y_221,w_3551,h_2583/fill/w_620,h_451,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/IMG_2547_HEIC.png)
![IMG_2528.HEIC](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/1621e5_3d38c2dd037b4350ad61ccccec7f3e0c~mv2.png/v1/crop/x_621,y_197,w_2997,h_2186/fill/w_618,h_451,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/IMG_2528_HEIC.png)
![IMG_2543.HEIC](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/1621e5_fe68f73923554d649e61e68af6647228~mv2.png/v1/crop/x_678,y_677,w_3226,h_2347/fill/w_620,h_451,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/IMG_2543_HEIC.png)
![disco5.jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/1621e5_601b748eaaca40d69e1c9a595b25409f~mv2.jpg/v1/crop/x_0,y_475,w_5305,h_2730/fill/w_620,h_319,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/disco5.jpg)
![IMG_2544.HEIC](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/1621e5_4686ddf78afb4b91bc6315397bd4a8c8~mv2.png/v1/crop/x_0,y_46,w_4032,h_2933/fill/w_620,h_451,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/IMG_2544_HEIC.png)
Photos and videos by Conrad Cheung, Anna Hogg and Adrian Wood.
Performers: Strings Applewood, Lee Brooke, Gabby Chirano, Skyler Heiser, Tedra James, Danny Loren, and various members of the public