Asian American Dance Performances

Entries from March 2007

Food for Thought: A conversation on tradition and innovation, legitimacy and appropriation

March 25, 2007 · 1 Comment

The Theater of the Yugen held a ”Food for Thought” roundtable discussion held at NOHspace on January 13, 2007 on tradition and innovation, legitimacy and appropriation. Facilitated by Sherwood Chen, the discussion was at the request of Naoko Maeshiba, a visiting dance-theater artist from Baltimore who performed as part of our Yugen Presents series and wanted to meet similar artists of the Bay Area. Thanks so much for turning out… the conversation went many places and we learned about each other’s work and process. 

Thanks are due to Lluis Valls, one of our Joint Artistic Directors and webmaster, who edited the podcast. It is broken down into five chaptered parts for easier downloading…for a total of about 2 hours!

 

Please check out the podcasts HERE. just scroll down this page a little bit until you get to Naoko Maeshiba’s section. They will be listed as:

 ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION on tradition and innovation, legitimacy and appropriation

Part I     -   Introductions

Part II   -  What is Fusion, where does it come from

Part III -  Butoh, Why we do what we do

Part IV  -  From the outside, Third way

Part V   -  Conclusion

Discussion Attendees: Ue Chua , Takami Craddock, Yuriko Doi, Ana Hortillosa, Shinichi and Dana (and Zoe) Iova-Koga, Jez Lee, Naoko Maeshiba, Claudine Naganuma, Kanoko Nishi, Prumsodun Ok, Shawn Tamarabuchi, Lluis Valls, Kyoko Yoshida, and Libby Zilber.

 

Categories: links · podcast

Between Two Worlds

March 16, 2007 · Leave a Comment

 

“One’s “Asian-ness” isn’t defined simply by our bloodlines or appearances, but by the depth of our ties to a country, language, smells, or behaviors that are quite different from those we’re surrounded by on a daily basis. The differences between the countries of origin also do not encourage a strong monolithic community in the
U.S., which in turn doesn’t generate its own base of informed viewers. American audiences don’t make the distinction between the Asian dancer who still dreams of returning home or one who has been a
U.S. citizen since birth.”

-Dance Magazine, June 2005 by Maura Nguyen Donohue

 

Please read the full article of Between Two Worlds: Asian American Dancers and Choreographers find themselves straddling two cultures—neither of them home

 

Here

Categories: articles

ego movement

March 3, 2007 · Leave a Comment

thememagazine_3307.jpg

“Movement, Technique, and Kata (form) are merely of dance but not all… There has to be the other half…that sizzling restless feeling.”

- “Shedding the Ego: The Dance of Min Tanaka” By Jiae Kim/Translated by Kazue Kobata, THEME Magazine.

In the Fall, THEME Magazine came out with a “Performance” issue that highlighted, among to others, an interview with Min Tanaka who has influenced much of the international butoh scene including Body Weather Training taught by local dancer Sherwood Chen. Please check out www.thememagazine.com  for more information.

Categories: articles