Dark Arts Kabaret

On a recent Friday night, I decided that I was tired of staying out till 4am pumping my fist to electronic dance music — I decided to do something different and the hype for this new series of cutting-​edge sounding performance art really enticed me.
My boyfriend and one of my best friends were intrigued as well so we all decided to go to the preview of «Dark Art Kabaret», which was described as «an erotic journey into the darker corners of your mind» and was supposed to feature «Aerial Performers, Fire Eaters, Sword Swallowers, Belly Dancers, Fan Dancers, Magicians, Contortionists, Showgirls, Trapeze Artists, Circus Freaks, and much, much more…»
When we arrived at the clandestine gallery, my excitement grew even more. Once inside, I noticed that the crowd milling around the makeshift bar was probably among the most chic I’ve seen in New York City. At that point, the event was worth it just for the fashion inspiration.
At a hefty cover charge of $ 20, I was expecting a lot & was sorely disappointed. Downstairs, amidst the Anonymous Gallery’s latest art installation by artist Little Marvin «Make Love War», was basically just a subpar amateurish Burlesque performance with sort of Goth-​ish themes, but nothing that awoke «the erotic dark corners» of my mind.
The installation itself was basically a bunker built out of shimmering gold shimmering spandex fabric — it seemed a little bit grade school art project.
No trapeze artists, fire breathers, or any of the sort promised in the numerous emails I was getting about this event ever appeared and even if they did — there would have been no room for them. There was a… ahem…smaller person who did a great lip-​sync performance to some of Marilyn Manson’s hit songs. However, this was not the titillating experience I was expecting…
«Apollo Heights», the band that played for the evening was amazing and I can’t wait to hear them perform a longer set at their next performance. DJ Spontaneous Underground was great as well, providing music that was perfect for mingling and enjoying the art.
Another good point to note — the bar in the foyer served beer and white wine for $ 2-​$ 3 each, so even if you are somewhat disappointed with the show you kind of make up for the fact that you forked over $ 20 by drinking cheap booze.
Although chic, the crowd was not intimidating — we met some cool people and had a good time. I would recommend this event but just temper your expectations — it was nothing like the pictures in the website!