As part of Performa 2019, conceptual artist Paul Pfeiffer brought 50 members of the U of Georgia Redcoat marching band to the Apollo theater in Harlem to infiltrate the theater and our deepest rhythms. The genius of the juxtaposition of the largely white band with the almost entirely black football team—seen at the Apollo on a live stream as the band played synchronized with its other half at the Sanford Stadium in Athens in the storied home to black artists was impossible to miss.
Audience members were encouraged to roam the theater, encountering pods of Bulldog band members in the basement, backstage, on stairwells and balconies. They recreated the program of this past Saturday’s game—which they won. Pfeiffer who is a sports fan, brought the game to us.
For those who love a marching band like me but can take or leave a football game, it was the best of all worlds. For the French couple sitting next to me, it was harder to parse as they knew nothing of the way a marching band both signals plays on the field and rewards touchdowns or yardage. Still, everyone seemed to enter into this original pairing with gusto, and the bands enthusiastic, dynamic playing which included their typical chanting, cheering and moves.