Orlando's Avant-Garde Side

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Last night I experienced DRIP (ilovedrip.com), a performing arts troupe unlike any I've seen in Central Florida. Their latest show 'Fresh' (through Feb. 14 at the Cameo Theater) is a daring, sensual spectacle. I wandered through the art-filled space, picking bits of food from hanging planters or garden-like sculpture walls, and watched dancers on stage move erotically under a 10-foot waterfall and on a mound of dirt and coffee beans. Freedom, openness and sensuality are among DRIP's credos; guests are encouraged to interact with each other among the environments at this avant-garde dinner theater experience. DRIP also performs at downtown's Blank Space, blending dance and body painting'performers paint each other using hands and feet as makeshift brushes in their visually dazzling performances. I've followed the Orlando art scene for many years, and this group is the most innovative I've seen in a long time, culling local and national performers. As DRIP Art Director Christie Brock puts it, the group tries to create "a fun, child-like world; get messy, have fun, try to do things that seem impossible. Don't hold back!"