Asian American Dance Performances

Monday, April 23, 2007

Chiori Santiago Chiori Santiago, a Berkeley performance arts writer remembered for her passion for music and dance, died April 14 at the age of 54.

Please look here for further information on Chiori Santiago’s life:

http://www.dailycal.org/printable.php?id=24639#

“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

“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.