WASHINGTON, DC -The Saartjie Project has garnered international attention for its boundary-stretching stage presentations that explores the mysticism, paradoxes and complexities surrounding the black female body. “Deconstructing the Myth of the Booty” is no exception. Voted a “Most Intriguing Pick” at the 2009 Capital Fringe Festival “Deconstructing the Myth” uses performance art to explore contemporary perceptions of gender, race, and power amidst the backdrop of the tumultuous life of 19th-century Saartjie Baartman, the company’s namesake.

Saartjie (pronounced Sar-kay) Baartman – was the South African woman paraded around Europe under the showname, “Hottentot Venus”. She was caged to show off her large buttocks, dissected upon her death and placed in a museum.

This February the Saartjie Project brings her story to life. The Washington City Paper said, “The [cast] earnestly and confidently commands the theater, demystifying the black female body while redressing it with a tantalizing mysticism all their own.” This not a performance to miss!” “Deconstructing the Myth of the Booty” will be at The Corner Store, 9th and S Carolina Ave, SE, Washington, DC on February 27th at 8pm.

Photos: Graeme King