SATURDAY

There’s something both surreal and hilarious about imagining b-boys playing classical violin; the French hiphop dance troupe Compagnie Kafig milks this head trip for all it’s worth. Dressed in the requisite striped jogging pants and oversized shirts, the six dancers and one musician in Recital use sophisticated staging to make the point that hiphop is high art. The stage is marked with glowing white stripes—like a Union Jack torn in half—that create tracks and paths along which the dancers move. Fast-paced techno breakbeats alternate with slower bass grooves, and North African melodies—reflecting the company members’ Algerian roots—enhance the sonic mix. During the performance, they set up silver music stands, don formal black tails, and maneuver with violins and bows in hand. Several of the performers trained in European circuses, as is evident when the music stands are hooked together to make a glittering skeletal sculpture suspended above the stage. In one duet section, the dancers’ moves are perfectly synchronized to the sounds of ringing bells, so much so that it appears as if their bodies were creating the music. There are enough tricks to please audiences familiar only with hiphop’s more acrobatic feats, but ultimately this piece is not about headspins and backbends: It celebrates the body control and assiduous artistry of seasoned b-boys. At 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct 9., at George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium, 730 21st St. NW. $15. (202) 944-1500. (Holly Bass)