Traveling troupe brings belly dancing and the bizarre to Jackson

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

By Jake Nichols

Jackson Hole, Wyo.-The Yard Dogs Road Show is exactly the type of gypsy outfit that Sheriff Taylor would have run out of Mayberry for setting up shop under the sycamores on the outskirts of town. God-fearin’ townsfolk make their uneasy truce with these traveling buskers; unsure of their motives but wistful for their carefree spirit.

Cher’s 1971 hit “Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves” summed up the lifestyle of musicians like the Yard Dogs. Hassled by day, frequented at night, the tramp artist gets by on what America throws away. The ragtag bunch of ‘hobohemians’ that comprises the Yard Dogs is societal castoffs with train wreck appeal.

The Yard Dogs cabaret act is like reality TV. Audiences hate to eavesdrop on the troupe’s psychosis, but they can’t look away. And it’s no act with YDRS. They are always in character - before, during and after the show - because it’s who they are. Unabashed performances of dance, burlesque and freaky stunts are scattered throughout a turn-of-the-century vaudevillian sideshow.

Where else can the average concertgoer get sword swallowing, belly dancing and fire-eating set to the soundtrack of Harry McClintock’s “Big Rock Candy Mountain?” A Yardies freak show should be an actively experienced event. It is to street theatre what “Rocky Horror Picture Show” is to science-fiction movies. There are fleeting moments of serious musicianship - like inventive brassy interludes and slaphappy banjo work meant to simulate the sitar - but, by and large, YDRS get by musically like they get along with Wall Street: out of tune and out of touch.

This isn’t a Journey reunion concert. Don’t expect to get pumped for the show by listening to ‘best of’ CDs on the way there. Catch a few YouTube videos before you go to know what you’re getting into.

The Yard Dogs show belongs barefoot on the bent grass somewhere under a tent in Kelly, Wyo., on a hot summer night. And yes, Zoe Jakes fans, Indigo Belly Dancing will be dancing with the dozen members of YDRS. And don’t miss the antics of Lily Love Rose, Zebu Recchia and the rest of the freaks. If you miss one show all year, this shouldn’t be it. In fact, get there early.

The show starts at 8 p.m. on May 10 at the Jackson Hole Playhouse. Call the theater for reservations at 733-6994.

Courtesy photo
Indigo Belly Dancing

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Traveling troupe brings belly dancing and the bizarre to Jackson | Planet JH News Article: Music Box

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