Tampa Fringe 2025
Percolate
Creative Moves
Genre: Dance and Movement Theatre, Experimental, Experimental Art, Interactive, Physical Theatre
Venue: The Lighthouse
Festival: Tampa Fringe
Low Down
Julie Leir invites audiences in with a cup of coffee and an invitation to create. And it’s a damn good cup of coffee.
Review
Percolate is less of a theatre piece but more the creation of theatre. The show is so unique that it has an award named after it: the “Percolator” award at Elgin Fringe Festival. Having seen Julie Leir’s other work Shedding Skin at Orlando Fringe, I was thrilled to see what else the artist had to offer. This jump – from a quiet introspective nude body horror to interactive comedic coffee-fueled choreography creation – showcases Leir’s immense creative talent.
Percolate is not your typical performance. As the title suggests, Percolate is an act of creation. As we enter, we’re invited to write down what words or phrases “coffee” brings us. Leir then turns on the on-stage percolator and allows us to sit and listen to the coffee slowly brew. She hands an audience member a coffee grinder and dances to the speed and sound of the grinding beans. Once the coffee is done percoloating, the audience is invited to have a cup. At my performance, we had to take our coffee black. (Leir has told me since then that she has gotten cream and sugar.)
The real fine roast of the show comes when she then pulls out her coffee cards each with different words and phrases written on them. These phrases, some emotions, some movements, some body parts, are combined at random to create a series of choreography. Leir asks her audience for feedback, tailoring each combined section of words to an agreed-upon choreography. Once we get into the process, she begins taking the audiences more abstract phrases about coffee and converting them into movement choreography. She then takes out her “cream” and “sugar”, extra cards meant to add the music and new challenges/intentions to the choreography.
Those more familiar with the choreography world will recognize the movement development techniques Leir is doing in this work. It is nothing revolutionary but to invite an external audience into the creative process is. Leir’s work is exciting because it showcases how simple it is to create art. With a cup of coffee and creative problem-solving, anything is possible. The entire audience was engaged, laughing, and sipping on coffee. Leir’s invitation to the audience to become an essential part of the creative process is admirable.
My sole criticism of the show comes in nailing its themes. I do wish, especially since conversing with Leir is a key aspect of the show, that we glimpsed more into what “percolating” meant to Leir. There were glimpses of her own challenges in choreography and the creative pursuit. Her quips about the necessity of the coffee left me wanting more emotional exploration.
Speaking to Leir privately on this, I am happy to note Leir is continuing to develop the concept. One of the things I suggested to her was to give the audience a final moment seeing the choreography come to completion. The transition from rehearsal to theatre, coffee beans to coffee, is an essential one for the themes to shine through. Leir reported this to be a success. If Leir can continue to find these moments of thematic development, the work will transcend from a fun interactive show to a robust brew. Percolate is one of the more unique fringe offerings I have seen. Interactive, creative, and thought-provoking, it’s a damn good cup of coffee.
