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Mon, Feb 02, 2009
Focusing in on fresh new work coming out of Japan, the Wexner Center presents theater ensemble chelfitsch in Five Days in March (February 12–14), and Japan Dance Now (February 19–21). Both shows highlight the latest developments in Japan’s performance scene. Details on both groups follow.
Set during the days immediately before the United States’ “shock and awe” bombing of Iraq in March 2003, Five Days in March projects subtle universal truths while delivering an anticlimactic portrait of the irony, obliviousness, and impotence of youth culture in Japan. The show is about two young hipsters meeting and hooking up at a Tokyo rock show for a one-night stand tha t evolves into five days of sex, drinking, and ennui. Ticket holders for Five Days in March can also see 25-minute companion piece Air Conditioner (Saturday only) at no extra charge. Condensing director Toshiki Okada’s off-kilter gestural choreography into a subtly humorous pas de deux, it features a young “salaryman” office worker and his clumsy interactions with a female colleague.
chelfitsch was founded in 1997 by Toshiki Okada, and this performance of Five Days in March is part of the company's North American debut tour. For more information visit http://chelfitsch.net/en/, or read a review at http://www.theatrewales.co.uk/reviews/reviews_details.asp?offset=25&reviewID=1926.
SHOW INFORMATION:
Japanese theater troupe chelfitsch will perform Five Days in March Thursday–Saturday, February 12–14 at 8 pm in the Wexner Center Performance Space, 1871 N. High St. Five Days in March is intended for mature audiences, and is performed in Japanese with English subtitles. On Saturday only, ticket holders can see Air Conditioner at 7 pm at no extra charge (free tickets for Air Conditioner must be requested at time of purchase). Tickets are $16 for the general public, $13 for members, and $10 for students; a ticket to the show includes admission to the exhibition Andy Warhol: Other Voices Other Rooms at the Wexner Center that day only (galleries open ‘til 8 pm Thursday through Saturday). For tickets call (614) 292-3535 or visit www.ticketmaster.com.
JAPAN DANCE NOW
Japan Dance Now is a showcase of three groups, each seeking fresh forms to echo their experience of Japan’s accelerated culture.
Nibroll, a Tokyo collective working in movement, new media, visual art, and fashion will present excerpts from Coffee, a visually rich work where everyday actions—like drinking a cup of java—trigger sudden aggressive outpourings that represent the societal and behavioral boundaries we often cross. Yoko Higashino, founder of the multimedia performance group BABY-Q, will perform E/G-Ego Geometria, a stylized and emotionally charged solo that has been a highlight of BABY-Q’s video-enlivened repertoire. Based in Osaka, Sennichimae Blue Sky Dance Club is an all-female ensemble whose work retains traces of influences from traditional butoh but with a pop edge and feminist undercurrents.
Japan Dance Now is currently on a limited tour in the United States (slated for only three locations). A video featuring all the troupes performing can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKrSj6UCynE More information can be found at each company’s website:
Nibroll http://www.nibroll.com/
BABY-Q http://www.baby-q.org/en/activity.html
Sennichimae Blue Sky Dance Club
SHOW INFORMATION: Japan Dance Now will be performed Thursday through Saturday, February 19–21, at 8 pm in the Wexner Center Performance Space, 1871 N. High St. Tickets are $16 for the general public, $13 for members, and $10 for students. For tickets call (614) 292-3535 or visit www.ticketmaster.com.
http://hwm7.gyao.ne.jp/sen-aozora/english.htm
Overall tour support is provided by the Japan Foundation through the Performing Arts JAPAN Program. The U.S. tour of Japan Dance Now is organized by An Creative Inc.
RESIDENCY ACTIVITIES
While at the Wexner Center, chelfitsch’s director and playwrite Toshiki Okada, and Japan Dance Now’s Yoko Higashino of BABY-Q, will meet with students in Ohio State’s Department of Theatre to discuss their approach to technology and youth culture in their work. At these sessions, students will also learn about the contemporary trends of performance in Japan.
SEASON SUPPORT
Major support for the Wexner Center’s 2008–09 performing arts season is generously provided by Huntington Bank and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.
Accommodations are provided by The Blackwell Inn.
All performing arts programs and events also receive support from the Corporate Annual Fund of the Wexner Center Foundation and Wexner Center members, as well as from the Greater Columbus Arts Council, The Columbus Foundation, Nationwide Foundation, and the Ohio Arts Council.
