As the piece progresses we settle into the rhythm of Gert’s chaotic pulse, maybe sit down at a cabaret table and merge with the proceedings, which lies at the heart of the immersive dance/theater experience. We didn’t need to know any more than what was in the program; we soak up the essence of Gert’s art through movement, music, text and a visual surround, created by set designer Ryan McGettigan. The theater, rendered completely unrecognizable by McGettigan, doubled as a cabaret, a street, a stage, a boudoir, and a dreamscape. From corrugated metal to the clever use of posters and even an odd chandelier, McGettigan created a richly textured set, a perfect playground for Gert and her cohorts. - Nancy Wozny, Arts & Culture Texas
‘Dada Gert’ as immediate as dance can be - Molly Glentzer, Houston Chronicle
“Dada Gert” is more abstract than Arnoult’s last immersive work, the dreamy, narrative “’Bout a Stranger,” about the life of Woody Guthrie, which was squeezed into a smaller black box space at MATCH.
This time, set designer Ryan McGettigan creates open quadrants by placing a pillar in the middle of the theater that also serves as a kiosk. Dancers add posters to the kiosk at various points that hint at Hitler’s rise to power. With corrugated metal scraps and graffiti on the walls, it feels more like a dark alley than a public square. The kiosk also sets up a carnival-of-life idea, as if the characters moving around it are creatures on a zany merry-go-round. The design is so complex, I didn’t notice the balcony high on one wall until Arnoult appeared up there.