LIVING/EDGE
Company:
Adam Kerbel
Choreographer and performer Adam Kerbel premieres LIVING/EDGE, a new solo dance-theater work, at the second annual Daredevil Arts Festival near Venice Beach. Presented at Wanda's, a music venue operated by Pacific Resident Theatre, the 60-minute performance blends dance with the grotesque and storytelling to examine what it means to remain fully alive after profound loss.
Following the sudden and unexpected death of Kerbel's mother from pancreatic cancer, LIVING/EDGE looks beyond illness toward the experiences that remain: horrific images, lingering memories, play, and the ongoing practice of living. The title reflects two intertwined experiences: witnessing unexpected morbidity and vitality during his mother's final days in the hospital (LIVING), and navigating the uncertainty that follows a loss (EDGE).
Kerbel describes the work as a "playscape." Improvisation, physical risk, and discovery serve as major structural forces throughout the work, creating an unexpected entry into the subject of grief which is typically approached with solemnity. Verbalized recollections from the hospital, character changes, and invitations for the audience to contribute to specific scenes create an impression of a person recalibrating, as if hit by a wave and methodically searching for the pulse of the tides.
A memorable image from the work is a figure audiences have nicknamed "the grief monster," a haunched, wobbling figure crawling across the floor as if hanging onto the surface of the planet. This haunting image exists within an atmosphere of eroticism, pain, and wonder, suggesting that a grief that consumes us may be a necessary part of acclimating to change.
"What if I stop resisting emotions and let them move all the way through me," Kerbel asks of the creative process behind the project. "Terror, desire, humor, pleasure—any of these can be overwhelming but what interests me isn’t any single one. It's the experience of living with all of them. That's what being alive feels like now."
Influenced by Jewish approaches to mourning that emphasize collective action over isolation, LIVING/EDGE is presented at Wanda's, a space typically associated with music and comedy. The performance embraces the unpolished setting through an interest in removing layers of separation. In Jewish practice, the deceased are interred quickly, naked and unadorned. Though the performance contains full nudity, audiences who have experienced developmental showings remark on how naturally the nudity emerges within the work. By the time physical exposure occurs, many viewers report feeling they have already witnessed the performer's deepest vulnerability.
Kerbel returns to Daredevil Arts Festival after appearing in its inaugural 2025 season. Known for championing adventurous performance, the festival provides an ideal home for the world premiere of LIVING/EDGE.
Created and Performed by Adam Kerbel
Musical Contributions by Joshua Cabitac
Lighting Design in collaboration with Pacific Resident Theatre
Outside Advisers: Gene Farbe, Annie Peterson, and Paul Matteson
Festival Information: Daredevilarts.org
Content Advisory: Contains full nudity and mature themes.
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