Plate V, Eight Parrot Dancers in a Circle, Their Parrots on the Ground, from Ballet of Bears with Parrots, Ballet by Jean Baptiste Balbi for "La Finta Pazza" c. 17th century

Editor: This etching by Valerio Spada, "Eight Parrot Dancers in a Circle," feels like a fever dream. What do you make of this strange, stilted dance? Curator: It's wonderfully bizarre, isn't it? Spada captures a moment of theatrical madness from Jean Baptiste Balbi's ballet. I see a clash of cultures, a playful yet perhaps unsettling blend of the exotic and the familiar. Editor: Unsettling, how so? Curator: Well, the parrots almost seem like props, or even sacrifices, in this odd ritual. Is it celebration or exploitation? That ambiguity is what really grabs me. Editor: I didn't think of it that way. Now I see a commentary on exoticism and performance. Thank you!