While the Costes USA tour managed not to run afoul of the authories here in Austin, TX last month, apparently there are more delicate sensibilities at play in South Dakota. I knew Jean Louis never should’ve invited Arman Keteyian to open the show! From the Associate Press (link courtesy Brian Turner)
A show where French performance artists vomited, simulated sex and threw fake feces was stopped by the promoter, who quickly apologized.
Lisou Prout and Jean-Louis Costes also stripped and spit potato chips on the crowd at a local arts center.
Audience members said the act depicted American life from birth to death. The show was stopped shortly after a simulated sex act involving a carrot.
“I was told they were performance artists from France and were highly recommended. I think I was told wrong,” said promoter Kevin Dorsman, who stopped the show.
It was much too extreme for Rapid City, population 60,000 or so, but well done as performance art, Dorsman added.
“My understanding is nobody had any idea, and these two performers just decided to drop their drawers or whatever,” said Barb Evenson, who handles rentals for the Dahl Arts Center.
Dorsman stressed that the art center had nothing to do with bringing in the group.
“For me, I think they got their point across, but I think for most people, they were either completely shocked or disgusted,” audience member Ben Lemay said.
I bet the gallery people were even more angry when they found out they had to clean it up.
Actually, the performers deftly cleaned and sanitized the performance area after their other shows, and most likely this one too. They left the stage cleaner than it was when we hosted them.