... And speaking of warm hearts, the El Rio was full of them tonight as all kinds of freaky kids gathered to benefit the production of dancer and performance artist Samuael Topiary's upcoming film, Atalanta. It's a gorgeous, dream, funny and clever silent film about the tough-ass princess Atalanta who can run as fast as the wind but has to deal with a wicked creepy royal Dad who wants to marry her off to some joe against her very strong will. The film centers around Atalanta's compromise-- she relents to marrying whoever can beat her in a race, and in pops the film's anti-hero, the archetypal court jest/fool character, played with earnest sweetness by Topiary herself. It's all about obsession: obsession with perfection, independence, and love, and the dancing is understandable and accessible, and this coming from a girl who instantly turns into a curmudgeonly 75-year-old republican man in the face of most modern dance...

- Michelle Tea

Dec 24, 1998, pg. 26