Lotto Royale is a two-day presentation of one-on-one performances that takes place as part of the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s River to River Festival. Lotto Royale’s format, conceived by Camila Malenchini, a dancer and curator, in collaboration with Layton Lachman and the collective T.E.N.T., involves audience members reserving a time slot and being paired with dance artists through a lottery system. The concept of Lotto Royale challenges the logic of consumption and the notion of value. Some of the participating dance artists are well known, while others are less established. However, “it’s the work of someone, and it’s a door to an experience”, as Malenchini explained.
The performances happen in public spaces, where each audience member is paired with a dance artist and taken to an indoor or outdoor location. The experience is private and public at the same time, creating an odd mix for the audience member. The performance can involve text, talking, task-based movement, and dancing. Each artist has several alternative plans in mind to cater to the needs of their audience member. Lotto Royale requires some faith as it challenges the traditional ticket buying system, as a lottery is random.
For the participating artists, Lotto Royale is an opportunity to change how they measure success in performance, as often choreographers don’t get to present six shows in such quick succession. Originally, Lotto Royale was just a way to perform during the pandemic. Malenchini invited about 30 artists to create one-on-one performances in public spaces, requiring that they be live. “Performance was trying to adapt itself to online stuff and to video making,” she said. “I was like, the live thing is the most important thing.”
The artists participating in Lotto Royale have individual approaches and interests. Alex Rodabaugh, for example, wants to make sure the audience members feel comfortable and not feel like they have to be “good.” Mayfield Brooks sees the project as an expedition, an adventure, where the journey is part of the performance. For Brooks, the one-on-one experience takes the preciousness away from performance, and such projects can be interventions that change the chemistry of public spaces, encouraging more courage and caring. Lauren Bakst is interested in the public space’s privatization, which she believes requires people to work on their collective muscles of being able to bear the presence of others. Overall, Lotto Royale can be viewed as an invitation to explore and work different muscles in a unique dance performance setting.
