PDP's DANCE UP CLOSE presents The Tale of the Slaughtered Hog, a premiere with choreography and performance by Paige Phillips - a lively and raucous performance that weaves together Paige Phillips’ memories of growing up in coal country West Virginia with radical Appalachian histories. It is a sweeping narrative that encourages national allyship, highlighting patterns of labor exploitation and wealth inequality. Created in collaboration with performers: Jeffrey Evans, Nick Jonzcak, Celine McBride, Chloe Newton, Paule Turner and  Judy Williams with Set Installation by Evan Dawson, sound by Liam Ze’ev O’Connor and Lighting Design by Matthew Lewandowski - Audiences will learn about the Coal Wars, a series of armed labor conflicts led by a group of multiracial miners. Phillips, a daughter of a coal miner, grapples with redneck tropes and questions why there is so much animosity toward our nation’s rural poor.

Tuesday March 28 at 7PM   Wednesday, March 29 at 7PM   Thursday March 30, 2023    Recommended for Mature Audiences.

Icebox Project Space   1400 North American Street  Phila PA 19122

ABOUT THE ARTIST: PAIGE PHILLIPS (she/her) is an interdisciplinary artist, educator, and cultural organizer. Her artwork is at the intersection of the performing and visual arts, most frequently engaging with contemporary dance, installation, and video. Paige’s work has been presented extensively across Philadelphia, and at institutions such as the Bangkok Arts and Culture Center, National Museum of Singapore, Park Gallery (Kathmandu, Nepal), Microscope Gallery (NYC), Velocity Dance Center (Seattle), Movement Research at the Judson Church (NYC), Urban Arts Space (Columbus), and Free the Kitsch (Athens, Greece). In 2019, Paige was chosen for Műhely Alapítvány and Philadelphia Dance Projects’ BILATERAL Exchange, a residency in Budapest, Hungary. As a performer, she has worked on projects with artists such as Cyrus Khambatta, Noelle Chun, Josiah McElheny, and Yael Bartana. Paige has taught at institutions including Rowan University, International School Bangkok, and Art Possible, where she integrated movement practices into inclusive classroom settings. She is currently a curator and project manager of participatory public artwork at Mural Arts, and vice president of the board of directors at Mascher Space Cooperative. Paige holds an MFA in Dance with a specialization in Folklore Studies from The Ohio State University.

Free Events:  Saturday, April 1  Phillips’ performances are part of RURAL LEGACIES, a two week festival tracing artists Paige Phillips' and Anne Wilson's personal lineages. It is supported by a grant from the Penn Treaty Special Services District. Talks: Experts will discuss themes explored in the performances. 11:00 AM PTSD and integration into society after military combat 12:30 PM The liver: its biology and poetic symbolism 2:00 PM Labor rights and activism that spans the rural/urban divide. Line Dance Workshop 3:30 PM – 5PM  and Always the Happy Hour 5 - 7PM