Pinch Cabaret #45

The Pinch Cabaret is KW’s monthly variety show, performance laboratory, and community arts party. An unexpected mix of Drag, Electronic Music, Belly Dance, Personal Essays, Indie Rock, Performance Art & who knows what else!

Hosted and curated by ding-dong daddy Ben Gorodetsky. Get ready for a diverse bill that'll surprise audiences and bring together disparate artistic communities!

Featuring:

• Peggy Harrison’s passion for bellydance began in 2006. She has studied with many teachers over the years and has developed her own unique style as a soloist that connects dynamically with audiences. Peggy won the Star Bellydancer Canada competition in Toronto in 2015, is a member of Guelph troupe Invoketress, and loves performing with her dance sisters.
• Do you know that character in Spirited Away? With all the arms? Who shovels coal into the bowels of the bathhouse? Hoofcarver is nothing like that. Hoofcarver exists first and foremost in the minds of a loose collection of Jacob Irish’s friends that get sent links to songs sporadically. Hoofcarver is metabolic music made by animals, for animals. This is the first time it’s been played out loud.
• Mel Mah's creative endeavours are sporadic, ranging from miniature origami to miniature vegetables to trivia writing. They've turned their English literature degree into telling engineers and scientists they've used Microsoft Office wrong, and yes they will fix it and make their PDFs meet accessibility requirements. For Pinch they’ll perform a few short pieces that are "basically personal blog posts but Mel doesn't write a blog anymore".
• Niomi Anna Cherney (she/her) is performance maker and collective liberation dreamer. Supported by many years working as a contemporary dancer and choreographer, her current work is interested in holding tenderness and contradiction. For Pinch Niomi will share Let the Boys, an evolving piece of live performance that centres the relationship between four local artists, drawing connections to wider themes of place and meaning making within our community.
• Lezbia Roxx has been performing her drag tribute to Woman for four years. From humble beginnings at the Well in Hamilton to her 1st One Woman Show at the Dundas Cactus Festival and pride performances in Toronto, Peterborough, and Fort Erie. Lezbia is a feminist and a firm believer in giving back to the queer community performing at events to raise funds for safe spaces for queer and transgender youth as well as AIDS fundraisers. She is also a podcaster on KGLTV.
• Johanna Daze is a singer-songwriter and guitarist from Kitchener-Waterloo, known for her emotional original music. Johanna blends soulful vocals with melodic guitar, creating an engaging and immersive experience for her audience. Johanna will be playing original music and accompanying herself on guitar.
• And for the Pinch Zine Series, this month we’ll release "A Treatise on Porridge" by Julie Hall. Julie lives in Kitchener for the good biking and good people, making a living as an arts administrator, visual artist, and occasional caterer. 'A Treatise on Porridge' grandstands on this stewed, stick-to-your-ribs, semi-solid snack.

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Advance tickets are $5 / $10 / $20 / $30 - you choose the option that's right for you

Limited tickets will be available at the door

Indigenous community members are welcomed to attend for free.

Enormous thanks to Waterloo Region Community Foundation, Ontario Arts Council, City of Kitchener, City of Waterloo, and The Registry Theatre for their generous support, allowing for accessible ticket pricing!

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Doors: 7:45

Show: 8:00

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VENUE:

We're at Hepcat Swing Studio - 42 Erb St E, Waterloo. Enter from grey door on the far right-hand side of the building, behind the dumpster.

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About host Ben Gorodetsky:

Ben Gorodetsky (he/they)is a performance maker, filmmaker, writer, and producer based in Kitchener, Ontario. They are the creator and former host of experimental variety show Dirt Buffet Cabaret, and former technical director at NYC burlesque theatre Duane Park. His performance work has been presented by The Art Gallery of Ontario, CAFKA, Femme Folks Fest, LUMEN, Open Ears, Movement Research at Judson Church, The Tank NYC, Mile Zero Dance, Guelph Dance Festival, Hillside Fest, Brian Webb Dance Company, Expanse Festival of Movement Arts, Rubaboo Festival, SpringWorks, and the Gas Station Arts Centre. They are the former Associate Artistic Director of Rapid Fire Theatre and have performed, taught, and directed improvisation in Atlanta, Detroit, Austin, Philadelphia, NYC, LA, Reunion Island, Vienna, Ljubljana, Montreal, Toronto, Yellowknife, Calgary, and Vancouver. He is co-creator of political satire comedy duo Folk Lordz (VICE). Ben is the winner of the 2016 Emerging Artist Award at the Mayor's Celebration for the Arts (Edmonton), the Anna Pidruchney Young Writers award, and a nominee for a Canadian Comedy Award and a Waterloo Region Arts Award. He is Creator and Executive Producer of CTV docuseries "MY PET ATE WHAT?", out now on Crave. They teach at UWaterloo, and hold an MFA from Brooklyn College-CUNY and a BFA from the University of Alberta.

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Show poster by Aaron Read