Finger Circus performance: 'Welcome to the Circus'

Performances at 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Finger Circus is a contemporary dance troop based in the San Francisco Bay area, whose performances primarily focus on "finger tutting." "Tutting," originally performed by funk dancers in the mid- to late- 1960s, pulls stylistic influence from the figural representations found in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics.

"Tutting" performers change the angles of their arms and bodies in response to the rhythm and beat of their performance soundtracks. "Finger Tutting," as the name suggests, focuses primarily on the hands and fingers. Related to the physical gesturing in "voguing" and historically relevant artist performances such as Yvonne Rainer’s "Hand Movie" (1966) and Richard Serra’s "Hand Catching Lead?" (1968), Finger Circus contributes to an impressive lineage of hand-based performance art and pop culture.

Finger Circus has performed in multiple venues and pop-culture videos including McDonald’s commercials, Taylor Swift’s "Shake It Off" music video and the "A-Z of Dance," presented by Diesel and i-D magazine. Members of Finger Circus include Christopher Chase Lindsey (CTut), Bela Joseph Sao (Strobe), Jordan Kaysean Demings (Era), Reymar Anonuevo Silverio  (Nemesis) and John Ray Hunt (P-nut).

The event is organized by Aaron Levi Garvey, SCAD assistant curator of exhibitions.

Presented as part of the deFINE ART 2015 program, Feb. 17-19

All deFINE ART lectures, receptions and events are free and open to the public.