Photo by Ian Douglas
A dance-theater critique of pop celebrity in the vein of Spinal Tap, Yackez was created by Larissa and Jon Velez-Jackson and features their Queer dance ensemble. The Yackez Dance culminates five years of their underground performances into a large-scale dance musical combining group improvisation, ballroom dance forms, older adult fitness, and pro-wrestling maneuvers into an unforgettable spectacle.
"The one-and-only Yackez is performing its much-anticipated “Stage Show” … This hot mess was one of the highlights of Catch 50. Don’t miss. Don’t watch sober." — Claudia LaRocco, The Performance Club blog
“Wacky” — Time Out New York
About the Artists
Yackez is the arty rap group/multimedia collaboration of Larissa and Jon Velez-Jackson, aka Twitta and Papi Jon. Larissa Velez-Jackson is a choreographer and hybrid artist, and a 2016 recipient of the Foundation for Contemporary Arts’ Grants To Artists award in dance. Jon Velez-Jackson is a songwriter, writer, and full-time journalist who also serves as the group’s wrestling coach. The married duo often performs with their beloved mascot YackMan and The Yackez Dancers (Tyler Ashley, Laurie Berg, Lillie De, Antonio Ramos, and Ashley R.T. Yergens). The Yackez Dance features senior adult dancers from Larissa’s New York City-wide dance-fitness classes.
Performance Program