Miki Orihara/WATER WATER @ LaMama

Sunday June 1, 2008 matinee - Miki Orihara probably doesn't realize how fascinating she is. It's been quite a while since I saw her dancing with the Martha Graham Company at Jacob's Pillow. When I started blogging, I was intrigued by her posts at The Winger. And I've kept poring over John Deane's ACTS OF LIGHT, one of the finest books of dance photography ever. Earlier this year I finally met Miki and her husband Stephen Pier at the Cedar Lake/GLASSY ESSENCE preview. I had prepared all these things to say to her when I met her but of course when the moment came everything went out of my head. Today I had an opportunity to see Miki dancing again with the Muna Tseng Dance Project at the LaMama Theater

Works from Ping Chong and Christopher Caines shared the bill with Muna Tseng's WATER WATER which was celebrating its 20th anniverary (even though it premiered in 1984!) by reuniting members of the original cast. I'd never been to LaMama before and it's a real old-style, no-nonsense 'theatrical' space. I loved it, and there was pretty much a full house for today's matinee.

It's always nice to go to these smaller venues and find something really unexpected and memorable being offered. That was the case today when a Christoper Caines work, Exquisite Hour, opened the performance. The scheduled singer had withdrawn due to a schedule conflict but what a treat to hear the songs by Reynaldo Hahn and Gabriel Faure sung (on a recording) with such warmth and lack of pretense by Alexandra Montano. Caines set his work on four wonderfully expressive dancers all obviously trained in classical ballet technique. Jackie McConnell, Edgar Peterson and Lauren Engelman (pictured here) were joined by Andrew Griffin in solos, duets and ensembles which sailed smoothly on the music. Ms. McConnell danced on pointe and the work was very balletic with lifts and a sustained flow of port de bras.

Visiting the Caines Dance Company website I found both good tidings and not-so-good. The good is that EXQUISITE HOUR is actually part of a larger work, SPIRITS, which to is be presented on June 21-22 at the Rose Hall/Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Details here.  But  it was sad to read that the woman - Alexandra Montano - whose voice was so captivating on the recording this afternoon has recently passed away.

This was followed by a very quirky piece called I Will Not Be Sad In This World by Ping Chong. The five dancers appeared in odd, rag-tag get ups and shuffled about the stage to the sound of running water, then to a sort of mournful Arabic chant and - briefly - to a newscast about the current American president. Because of their concentration and skill at isolating gestures the dancers made this more interesting than it may sound.

Then for Water Water the four women and two 'servers' took the stage in their deep blue trousers and jackets (costumes are credited to "The People's Republic of China"...) and commenced this enchanting, unique piece in which the sound of water being poured from glass to glass is often the only accompaniment to the dancers' movements. They pour in different sequences, in unison and in turn, varying the gestures and rhythms of the pouring. Finally they drink. Then begins another ritual of passing the cups, to a hypnotic beat, which becomes quite elaborate. The women dance in sync and in patterns until the server passes out new glasses full of...liquid soap. And they all begin blowing bubbles which creates a mirthful effect. The humour of the piece is often subtle and the overall effect is quite striking.

It was so good to see Miki onstage again and to have a chance to see her after the performance; she is off to Saratoga for three weeks of teaching and coaching and then later to Japan to perform.

Comments

[miki]

Thank you so much for coming!! It was such a treat dancing with friends. In my age, not many people are dancing anymore and some of us came back to do this peroformance was great feeling.
We had intense rehearsal period prior to this weekend but it was amazing to feel connected again after how many years???

Hope Cedar Lake was nice...

[Philip]

Miki, it is so sweet of you to leave a note here! I enjoyed the afternoon at LaMama so much...I was telling Caleb and the people at Cedar Lake about it. The Cedar Lake show is super and we all missed having you & Stephen there. Have a great time at Saratoga and at Jacob's Pillow...it is so beautiful there. That is where I first saw you dancing, in APPALACHIAN SPRING...