REAL TROUPER

AT first blush, L.A.’s dance performance scene seems about as electrifying as a tree sloth. Touring troupes at the Music Center? Snooze city.

Fortunately, it has an underbelly, buoyed by a few DIY-minded artists, including dancer and choreographer Ryan Heffington, who’s been challenging the status quo for years as co-choreographer of Hysterica, the edgy contemporary dance company.

These days, he’s been infiltrating hip-and-dingy Eastside bars with Fingered. The guerrilla dance troupe, which he started two years ago, marries his Martha Graham-on-meth choreography with elaborate costumes (which he designs and sews) and throbbing rock and electro music.

Before each performance, Heffington teaches a rollicking dance class. (The sight of dozens of hipsters writhing around while swigging Amstels is worth the $5 admission alone.) After that, a section of the bar’s floor is cleared, the lights dim and one by one, the small troupe of classically trained dancers, including Heffington, bursts in, while clad in freak-loving, eye-popping finery.

It’s Heffington’s oddball designs, which include a one-shouldered unitard shrouded in pink netting and a shoulder piece that looks like a stuffed-animal version of a lower intestinal tract, that push the performances into truly twisted territory.

The self-taught seamster also designs his own line of custom clothes called Sir Heffington. It’s more of a personal project than a business, though Gwen Stefani bought a few pieces after admiring them on some dancer friends.

Heffington’s subversive, gender-bending personal style -- a cross between Pat Benatar and Freddie Mercury -- is further testament to his passion for fashion as a vehicle for transformation.

Though Heffington’s Fingered will persevere, the eccentric polymath will debut a new project on April 19 at downtown bar Charlie O’s. We Are the World, an “art performance band,” will pair dance with live music, crazy costumes and video footage.

What do you think about when costuming a show?

I usually have a visceral reaction first. Forms, scale and [color] tones come to me, then I go into a more technical mode and study the concept and the mood and the choreography’s boundaries. I think about if I want to hide the body or if I want to layer it with fabric so that the fabric reacts to the movement. Then I start with a detailed sketch and create as I go.

What are some favorite things you’ve made?

I like this black-and-white-checked unitard that has growths jutting out around the hips. I wanted it to be beyond human. Fingered-land isn’t based in the world as we know it.

What are your favorite things to wear?

I have this pair of vintage dark green plaid pants that I tailored into jodhpurs that I love. Also, this vintage Pierre Cardin soft-gray tux that I wear over a tank top. I also love my pair of vintage Jordache high-waisted jeans. They remind me of roller skating on Venice Boulevard in the ‘70s. I have these amazing knee-length sequined black shorts that I attach black sequined suspenders to and wear with a straw fedora and heels. I tend to change my look at least once daily.

What makes a person stylish?

Confidence and a keen eye for knowing what looks good on your body.

Who is your most stylish person of all time?

Yoko Ono -- as a performer and a person. She’s still creating amazing work.

Where do you shop?

The Goodwill. Generally, if I see any thrift store, I pull over. I don’t like to pay money for fashion; it’s more about having a personal style for me rather than buying something that’s so predetermined. But I also get things at [friend and Grey Ant designer] Grant Krajecki’s studio and Endovanera.

Anything on your wish list?

Washed-canvas ankle boots from Ladyboy, a new brand from Megan Gold and Robbie Williamson, who used to own Work custom denim in Echo Park. [The couple are in We Are the World]. They are super flat and super comfortable.

What are you reading right now?

“Midnight at the Palace,” the story of the San Francisco performance troupe the Cockettes. They had this lifestyle of being covered in glitter and hitchhiking and driving to unknown destinations. That is so thrilling to me.

What’s the most happening bar in L.A.?

I love Charlie O’s for the grunge factor, because it’s dirty as hell. At the same time, it has an amazing energy and an amazing dance floor.

What’s great about performing in bars?

Bars are unpretentious to me. And when we perform, we dance in the round on the floor. For the audience, part of what’s great is being able to see people across from them; it feeds the frenzy of the performance. We’re in their face and in their laps. Add a couple of drinks on top of it, and it’s just incredible.

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mili.vesilind@latimes.com