Switchblade Parade, a Tucson-based performance group, brings its edgy, sexy show, “”Foreplay”” to Club Congress Saturday at 9 p.m. The group’s act draws upon burlesque, vaudeville, drag shows, modern dance, break dancing, hip-hop, celebrity lampooning and current events, defying any ordinary label.
“”Foreplay”” is Switchblade Parade’s second annual Valentine’s Day show. The show will feature live as well as pre-recorded music, with artists chosen from a diverse sample: Snoop Dogg, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Gershwin, to name just a few. The show will have new material, featuring nothing from last year’s Valentine’s Day revue “”Get Your Heart On.””
Publicity representative and creative writing senior Ivy Knipe called the troupe “”a high-energy variety show with an erotic edge.”” She emphasized its comedic tone, saying the show also touches on politics and sexuality. “”Some numbers have a storyline, while others have an abstract idea and are more stylized,”” Knipe said.
The group is made up of eight members and one host. The shows are typically comprised of vignettes and last around an hour. Knipe cited “”an appreciation for music and art”” as the impetus for the group’s inception three years ago.
Knipe said “”Foreplay”” will be “”bigger (than ‘Get Your Heart On’) with a lot of sequins and skin. We want to do new-age twists on old themes. We love fishnets and bloomers, but it’s going to be like that on crack. (In ‘Foreplay’) we don’t do anything minimalist at all.””
The talent, Knipe said, is more impressive this time around, with new tricks and stronger choreography.
When asked what type of atmosphere people could expect, Knipe said, “”By the end of last year’s show, I could spot several people making out. (Our act) makes people want to party and have fun and get it on. It’s totally a party.”” Appropriately, Club Congress is selling special V.I.P. tickets to “”Foreplay”” that come with a bottle of champagne.
As a burlesque group, there is a sexual side to the performance, but Knipe said that that is not Switchblade Parade’s sole focus.
“”Rarely do we have a number where it is all stripping; there is always some kind of storyline,”” she said. This approach allows the group to use its sexual identity as performance art and personal statement. “”We all identify ourselves different sexually. The last thing we want is to discount any crowd. The erotic aspect of the troupe is part of a draw. The sexiness can be a side high for people, but that is not the main goal.””
With booze, stripping and orgiastic behavior, “”Foreplay”” may seem like a bit of an affront to Valentine’s Day. That is not the case; Knipe called the show “”rebellious,”” but said it does not aim to be an antagonistic, anti-Valentine’s Day attack.
“”Valentine’s Day can be a real hate parade. We love to spin that around and celebrate love of any kind: frustrated love, secret crushes, the love of music, self-love — anything that is romantic. After all, Valentine’s Day is a lover’s holiday,”” she said.
A lover’s holiday definitely requires a little bit of “”Foreplay.””
