Review: Brian Sanders' JUNK goes bluegrass

First things first: The theater is un-air-conditioned and may be 80 degrees or more. You sit on huge bales of straw, covered with horse blankets if you choose to keep the sharp bits at bay.

The second floor of South Philadelphia's Shiloh Baptist Church has become a barn to house Brian Sanders/JUNK's performance of American Standard, the company's Fringe Festival offering this year. The setting may not be comfortable, but it's worth it to see Sanders' wacky Seven Brides for Seven Brothers-type show, which runs through Sept. 19.

It's an unusual look for Sanders, whose characters tend toward the dark side, but the wit and fearlessness are the same.

Six dancers in plaid shirts, jeans, and boots dance on three levels: barn floor, hayloft, and catwalk. They perform gymnastics on a large wooden table to a series of bluegrass songs. They dance clogging routines, jump over rolling logs that are their fellow dancers, and do-si-do while sitting on one another's shoulders.

Huge ropes come down from the rafters, and two men perform an aerial routine, climbing, posing, and twisting themselves around their lengths. In another aerial section, Kelly Trevlyn flies above the stage to the song "Bird in My House."

A trio vaults on and leans over structures draped with cowhides while others dance across makeshift balance beams. Men drop from the catwalk onto huge piles of straw.

At times, the performance is gasp-worthy; at others, the gasps come from seeing the table shift under the weight of leaping dancers or an aerialist flying close to an unyielding surface. One hopes Sanders' insurance is paid up, but the tricks are breathtaking.

The bits of pure dance in between, however, are not always performed with the same energy. There were also a few wardrobe malfunctions Tuesday night, from a badly torn shirt to rubber boots that were far too large and unwieldy for the dance.

It's a fun show, though best enjoyed if you sit near the large oscillating fan. BYO allergy medicine if straw and dust are likely to get to you.

edunkel@philly.com

@edunkel