#408: Sharleen Chidiac

🚶‍♀️Japanese Walking Competition Videos, 🌸 SC103 Relief Parfum, 🗣️ Telling the Truth, and more.

Perfectly Imperfect is a newsletter offering “A Taste of Someone’s Taste” from guests like Charli XCX, John Cale, Julian Casablancas, Lena Dunham, Mac Demarco, Dasha Nekrasova, Tim Heidecker, Ayo Edebiri, Michael Imperioli, Rayne Fisher-Quann, Mel Ottenberg, Chloe Cherry, Matty Matheson, Anna Delvey, The Dare, Caroline Calloway, Snail Mail, and more. Check out our full archive here.

Cool people like cool things, which is why we asked Sharleen Chidiac to share a taste of her taste on Perfectly Imperfect.

Sharleen Chidiac is a New York City-based dancer, musician, and choreographer who started Pageant, an artist-run Brooklyn performance space, with Lili Dekker, Jade Manns, Owen Prum and Alexa West. Her approach to choreography brought her to Milan in 2022 to direct movement for Marni’s viral fashion show lit only by flashlight, and you too can see her special eye for experimental dance yourself this weekend (January 18-20) for Sharleen’s upcoming show titled Home Entertainment Complex. She also plays in one of the coolest rock bands in the city, Voyuer, with Jakob Lazovick, Joe Kerwin, and Max Freedberg. After a run of raw singles, the band is releasing an EP on February 13th with a release show following at Baby’s All Right. Lucky for us, Sharleen is here to tell us what she’s been into.

Without further ado

Sharleen Chidiac (instagram)

🍋 Lemon Water First Thing In The Morning

I can’t start my day without lemon water first thing in the morning. I am obsessed with lemons. I squeeze about half a lemon each morning in some cold water. I also add some special tinctures to help my brain and mood.  

🎸 Glenn Branca - Symphony 5 (live @ The Kitchen) 

I’m in a little Glenn Branca phase right now. Sometimes his pieces are too much. This video is probably my favorite performance of his. I like the way he ‘conducts’ the guitar orchestra like it’s a dance. His convulsions are similar to kids slam dancing to hardcore; the same way his pieces are like elongated punk songs. Also he’s from my hometown of Harrisburg, PA.

🚶‍♀️🚶‍♀️🚶‍♀️Japanese Walking Competition Videos  

I could watch these for hours. It’s like a magic trick or optical illusion. And I can't imagine what the rehearsals are like.

🎻 The Sacred Idol by Les Baxter 

The Sacred Idol is a gorgeously cinematic soundtrack that was made for a movie that was never released. It’s mysterious and fantastical. It transports you to some other imaginary dimension. I suggest you avoid looking at pictures of Les Baxter as this may ruin the music for you. 

The genre of exotica is kinda fucked up mashing up disperate cultures of South America, Africa, the Southeast Asia and the Levant without having any knowledge of the cultures. I’m half Peruvian-half Lebanese, so I too am a mashup of disparate cultures. There must be some metaphor within exotica for people like me. Growing up 1st gen American never feeling fully connected to either of my ethnicities and maybe I relate to this pictorial version of “exotic” cultures.

🧘 Yoga with Amelia Heintzelman 

My friend Amelia teaches yoga and every time I finish a class with her I’m on cloud nine. She teaches on Tuesday evenings at PAGEANT ;) and another spot in Ridgewood and maybe other spots around the city. I think her schedule changes so if you just follow her on Instagram she updates on there. It's for your health and your happiness!!

🌸  SC103 Relief Parfum

Absolutely perfect roller fragrance by SC103. I am so lucky to have received this as a gift from Sophie. Every single person who has ever hugged me while wearing it has asked me what it is. I think it was sold out for a while but the website says it will be back in stock in January, lucky for you. 

🩰 Michael Clark and Charles Atlas collaborations  

A really influential collaboration for me is Michael Clark and Charles Atlas. Michael Clark is a choreographer who merges punk music, fashion and formal dance in a flamboyant, yet technical style. Charles Atlas gives a frame to the performances. I find myself craving the guided gaze of cinema in live performances, but it can be hard to conceive of when the cut should be and where the camera should be. I’ve seen performance best documented in the silent comedies of Buster Keaton and in the camera work of Charles Atlas.

🗣️ Telling the Truth

I would never tell a lie.

Bonus recommendation for paid subs from Sharleen below! 🎬 ???