the collective — Visceral Abstractions

It all started when…

…a group of friends decided to finally manifest on-stage what they only had dreamed in their heads. We booked a date and concocted a show, leaving subtlety and logic at the door. We dig deep, and with blood, sweat, tears, & laughter, we invite audiences along on the absurd journey we call life.

Since the first show in late summer 2017, we have created The original Visceral Abstractions in four different forms, Sex Ed 1 & 2, and Falling into the Love Hole, A Musical, a collaboration with friends. We have also produced several variety shows and performed with Little Cinema and Blunderland, amongst others.

Juanita Cardenas

Artistic Director/ Puppet/ Costume Design and fabrication / Performer/ CO-creator and OG collaborator

Dana Abrassart

Video Guru/ Performer/ CO-creator/ OG collaborator

Tamara ochoa

Performer/ Sound Design/ Co-creator/ OG collaborator

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Maya Shah

Performer / SEX ED, LOVE HOLE

Maya Shah is an art world chameleon who has worked as an art handler, auction house specialist and art advisor. She began aerial shortly after she stopped climbing on buildings and for the past 5 years she has been part of Tanya Gangé’s Big Sky Works circus family. She has performed in New York, Philly, and the Dominican Republic. With a degree in Architecture, she has worked on several multidisciplinary projects that apply guerilla tactics to humanitarian design. Committed to the support of emerging artists, she serves on the steering committee of the Princess Grace Foundation Guild which provides vital support to artists in film, theater and dance. She currently serves as an advisor, confidant and fixer to artists, estates, collectors and arts organization.

Jon JONI

Performer / SEX ED, LOVE HOLE

Jonathan (Jon Jõni) McDonald (High Point, NC) began his training in traditional African, Caribbean, and Modern dance with the Egwynn Dancers of North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University. After studying a summer at Enda Manly School of Arts in Kingston Jamaica, Jonathan sought out training in ballet, jazz and contemporary at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. He has danced with companies such as the Jan Van Dyke Group ( Greensboro NC), Kearns Dance Project (Burlington, NC), and Terrenova Dance Theater (Burlington, NC); all the while teaching in Greensboro at Artistic Motion School of Arts, and Dance Project: School of City Arts. Since moving to NYC in 2015, Jonathan has danced with RuddR Dance, Segerra Dance Theater Project and Reaction Dance, while training in circus arts. He debuted his first solo trapeze act fall of 2017 with A&S Productions’ “Circus Muse: A Traditional Circus,” at The Muse Brooklyn. Since, he has performed with House of Yes, Company XIV and Secret Loft.

Erin Blaire

Performer / SEX ED, LOVE HOLE

Erin Blaire is an aerialist and dancer based out of Brooklyn, NY. Erin’s performances in NYC have taken place at venues such as House Of Yes, The Muse, Secret Loft, and Romanoff’s. In addition to her work as a performer, Erin has also worked behind the scenes at the following non-profit arts organizations: Baryshnikov Arts Center, Mark Morris Dance Group, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and Monica Bill Barnes Company

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Matt Roper

Performer / SEX ED, Co-Creator / LOVE HOLE

Matt Roper is a character comedian, satirist and neo-vaudevillian. Under the guise of his powerhouse alter-ego Wilfredo he has toured internationally, releasing two comedy albums, a single (banned by the BBC) in addition to staging three feature length shows at the Edinburgh Festival and beyond. He first came to the attention of New Yorkers with his performance as Chico Marx in I'll Say She Is: The Lost Marx Brothers Musical, which played to sell-out houses and smash reviews Off Broadway at the Connelly Theater. His performance as lead comic in Mat Fraser and Julie Atlas Muz's Jack & The Beanstalk at the Playhouse Theatre at the Abrons drew similar acclaim. To Downtown audiences he is best known for his work with the Secret Variety Society, the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus and for his late-night appearances at the Slipper Room in the Lower East Side

Eric Schmalenberger

Performer / SEX ED

Seen on stages all over NYC and around the world he's got a heart of gold and the mouth of a sailor Eric Schmalenberger is the clown about town with a special place in his heart for the raunchy and the ridiculous. He is the MC and curator of Blunderland, a NYC based variety show with quarterly shows in both New Orleans and London, as well as his burlesque review Extra and about to premier conceptual comedy show HOMO APOCALYPSE. Eric is also a member of NYC's favorite surrealist cabaret clown troupe Fou York, a regular performer at both House of Yes and Susan Bartsch's FOLLIES, and an MC of variety shows around the globe.