Duet at BASTION

23 November 2025

Someone once said this about BASTION:

”It’s best to think about the restaurant as performance art about food,
rather than a place to eat dinner.”

On 23 November 2025, we paired the art of Bastion with that of New Dialect to create an intimate evening of sensing.
Josh Habiger, Lauren Kessinger & the Bastion crew graciously planned & hosted the dinner as a fundraiser for New Dialect.
While longtime New Dialect believer & patron, Grace French, served as inspirational co-conspirator and chair.

Six Courses for the Sake Art, as we all called it.

Banning and Madison Brott performed a duet they conjured up the studio and then honed in the restaurant.
Michael Brown ran lights & sound. Karin Eaton and Tonya Lewis ran cameras during rehearsal.
The night arrived, the house was full, art was served: we reveled.

Thanks to everyone who helped bring it into being. We are gratefully indebted.

An expanded version of the duet Banning and Madison created for Bastion was performed in May 2026 at the Wortham Center in Asheville, North Carolina.
Banning performed that duet with Phylicia Roybal.