Prepare for Perforations

On Friday, March 11, Bulgarian performerIvo Dimchev kicked off the Balkan Performance Art Festival Perforations at LaMama with the premiere of his signature work "Lilli Handel." In the piece, Dimchev plays the titular Lilli, a man-woman who physically calls to mind both Leigh Bowery and one of Vincent D'Onofrio's incarnations in the 2000 film "The Cell." But Dimchev's performance is no mere circus spectacle. In a 50-minute solo that found Dimchev neighing, spitting, singing, sweating, and drawing his own blood onstage, the artist managed to crack up the sometimes cringing audience as he addressed the subjects of age, fading beauty, sexual roles, and consumption -- artistic and sexual. Considering that was just the first night, expect similarly outrageous and entertaining antics from the various performers on the bill, from Croatia's Badco to Slovenia's MladinskoTheater. This is indie art at its most provocative.

Performances will take place at Club La MaMa, 74A East 4th Street (betweenBowery and 2nd Avenue), New York City.

Performances run March 11-20 (Friday,Saturday, and Thursday at 10pm; and Sunday and Monday at 8pm).