不良研究所

不良研究所-led Performance Artists Dressed as Mailboxes Will Pop Up in 4 American Cities Wednesday

Celebrating Democracy

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post office boxes
不良研究所 theatre professor Larry Bogad’s mailboxes danced in downtown Berkeley and three other American cities on Inauguration Day. Note: this photo was taken during Wednesday's event, after the attached story was posted. (Gregory Urquiaga/不良研究所)

Of course, there will be speeches, Lady Gaga, Garth Brooks and others performing on Inauguration Day in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. But a 不良研究所, performance artist will be leading a troupe of dancing mailboxes in four other cities to celebrate the event.

On Wednesday, performers dressed as mailboxes will be dancing and singing, flash-mob style, in New York City; Scranton, Pennsylvania; Austin, Texas; and Berkeley, California.

 is a project of , chair of the 不良研究所 Department of Theatre and Dance, who had the idea during presidential election season when voting by mail became a subject of controversy.  DELIVERING DEMOCRACY was created by Artistic Director/Producer Bogad (不良研究所/Center for Tactical Performance) and Theatrical Director Leese Walker of NYC鈥檚 Strike Anywhere Performance Ensemble.

鈥淭his was democracy in action. I thought, what if the mailboxes just started dancing 鈥 celebrating the hardworking civil servants of the post office 鈥 and really, just celebrating working people everywhere who make democracy possible,鈥 Bogad said about the project, which is nonpartisan and only advocates voting and democracy, not one candidate over another.  It was meant to be uplifting, but have a message too, he said.

Performers dressed as mailboxes 鈥 authentically blue contraptions that a team of individuals made of cardboard in Bogad鈥檚 Berkeley backyard 鈥 danced first in Pennsylvania, a swing state, moving to a reworked version of the pop tune 鈥淧lease Mr. Postman鈥 and handing out flyers with useful and accurate information about how and where to vote by mail, drop box or in person.

Later, after all ballots were counted, and Joe Biden won, Bogad said, the team decided, 鈥渨hy not just keep celebrating democracy on Inauguration Day?鈥

Inauguration Day dancing too

鈥淚 thought: 65 million people voted by mail, and their ballots were counted and verified. Hooray. Support democracy. 鈥 How about a victory lap for America.鈥 鈥 Bogad

The troupe is made up of about 15-20 people, including Bogad, divided up now into the four cities in which they are dancing on Wednesday. Bogad initiated and developed the flash-mob-style street show at his Center for Tactical Performance and the Strike Anywhere Performance Ensemble in New York City. 

See a previous dancing mailbox performance .

To find out more about your local performances, contact the individuals listed below:

Austin: Andrea Ariel, 512-423-0457, andrea@arieldance.org

Berkeley:  Larry Bogad, 212-300-7943, l.m.bogad@gmail.com

New York City: Leese Walker,  646-298-4116, leese@strikeanywhere.info

Scranton: Tannis Kowalchuk, 917-566-7698, tannis@farmartscollective.org

Media Resources

Karen Nikos-Rose, News and Media Relations, 530-219-5472, kmnikos@ucdavis.edu

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