Nudity, simulated sex shocks Rapid City arts patrons

Performance at Dahl Arts Center is stopped
By Associated Press
Published: March 9, 2007

RAPID CITY – Ben Lemay says a French performance artists’ show that the promoter stopped before it was over at the Dahl Arts Center was jaw-dropping.

“It was pretty much a show centered on shock value,” audience member Lemay said of the performance, which included nudity, simulated violence and sex acts and various “props.”

Lisou Prout and Jean-Louis Costes stripped off clothing, spit potato chips on the crowd, vomited into a commode and threw fake feces and urine before being shut down about 15 minutes before their 45-minute act was to have ended on Wednesday.

Their act contained dancing, singing, spoken word and acting set to a loud soundtrack. Audience members said the act was a depiction of American life from birth to death.

“For me, I think they got their point across, but I think for most people, they were either completely shocked or disgusted,” Lemay said. “You didn’t have to search that hard for what they were trying to get across. But a lot of people were just too shocked to even go into that.”

Those at the performance said the apparent last straw was a simulated sex act involving a carrot.

The promoter, Kevin Dorsman, had rented the art center for the performance and said he knew little about the group before the show.

Dorsman was apologetic.

“I was told they were performance artists from France and were highly recommended; I think I was told wrong,” he said. “I was a bit taken aback and blindsided.”

Dorsman was the one who told the sound man to stop the music.

“I’m still kind of in shock, so to speak,” he said. “It was hands down, the craziest, most insane thing I’ve ever seen in my life, and I have to applaud them. But at the same time, I’m very upset that I was not informed about the nature of it.”

It was much too extreme for Rapid City but well done as performance art, Dorsman said.

“My understanding is nobody had any idea and these two performers just decided to drop their drawers or whatever,” said Barb Evenson, who handles rentals for the Dahl Arts Center. “They (the promoters) weren’t hoping to have this happen, they were completely blindsided. As far as I know, everyone involved was just blindsided by it.”

It was not a Rapid City Arts Council event, art center officials said.

Dorsman stressed that the art center had nothing to do with bringing in the group and should not be criticized.

“I did not expect this. I did not want this,” he said.