SOUNDCHECK FOR SURVIVAL

“Aha…sure…uh-huh…yes…ummm…you say….â€

And so begins NO, dancer/actuation artist Annalisa Limardi’s intriguing, minimalistic dissertation on the social pressures exerted on women, and men as well, to be amenable, positive and passive to the point of evaporation.

Limardi hurls about the sizable stage at the Eastwood Performing Arts Center, weaving in and out of a pool of light, with physical repetitions that denies individuality by entombing it in reoccurring cycles of movements tinted with subservience. But, subtle cracks in the machinery begin to appear, until Limardi is fallen by the stress of her submission.

Another pool of light erupts on stage, and Limardi finds herself facing her savior/nemesis: a microphone, a representative of the media, the mirror of society, albeit a cracked one, that for the individual can serve as both liberator and tomb.

A device that amplifies and frees the voice of an individual, infusing them with power, yet at the same time, a device that defines and dispenses the acceptable limits society seeks to impose.

At first as Limardi tries to approach the microphone, the feedback roars, pushing her back, in an interplay that reminds one of the technique Diamanda Galás used in her later “scream operas.â€

Once Limardi grips the mic it suddenly becomes a confidante, then interrogator bellowing out questions recorded in Limardi’s own voice:

“Tell me something about yourself…?â€

“Do you like being helpful…?â€

“Do you mind if I get ahead of you in line…?â€

“Would you like to be prettier….?â€

As the dance continues, the questions become intimate, aggressive, sexual. As Limardi whirls and struggles, the mic shifts from friend to serpent, to rapist to noose.

In performing NO, Limardi proves herself in possession of a non-verbal physical diction which is impressive — an emotional eloquence with which she is capable of challenging audiences to confront complex issues that are rarely spoken of.

I say those who experienced NO will not soon forget the brief half hour that it held their attention on the Eastwood stage; and YES, Annalisa Limardi’s performance was that commanding.

photos courtesy of the artist

NO
Eastwood Performing Arts Center (Main Space), 1089 N Oxford Ave
part of the Hollywood Fringe
ended on June 29, 2025
for show info, visit NO