The People in the Project / & the Crazy wonderful people last week

Joshua Kohl of Degenerae Art Ensemble w/ Dohee Lee

Here we are.... just completed mountains of challenges, and we feel like we have just went up a medium size mountain in the snow storm and ice tornado , completing 4 performance showings! Now we are moving on to the next project - the RED SHOES!  GOODNESS WE FEEL SLIGHTLY GOOD!!! or, a little BETTER !! 4 more chapters to go, RACING WITH TIME AND BATTLING WITH ENERGY, FUNDING/STAMINA/PATIENCE/ UNEXPECTED HAPPENINGS/STAMINA ( did I mention stamina...?) INSANITY/ and  slight slight ALCOHOLISM (?!)

Jherek, Terry, Joshua, Dohee, Theresa, Leo and I doing  SERIOUS notes

One above is Ian Lucero, our beloved video artist/documentarian at the site form last week  performances:  ALL Photos taken by Bruce Tom.
Big THANKYOU to the string quartet who jumped in gracefully for two rehearsals and made our evening!!
Brianna Atwell - Viola!
Natalie Hall - Cello!
Kendal Seager -violin!
Karen Halliburton - violin!

Our wonderwoman Olivia Taguinod  at the door greeting and managing the chaos at the door!

Korby Sears ( musician! ) Robin Held (curator of Frye Art Museum ) & Jo-Anne Danzker ( director of  the Frye !)

Jherek Bischoff (composer) preparing for playing his double casio with the string quartet

Leo Mayberry ( video artist) humoring Theresa, our co- tech director

Brianna (viola left ) and Natalie ( cello ) tuning

Karen (violin left ) and Kendal ( violin right )

Terry Podgorsky ( our co tech director ) in my dressing room

Ela Lamblin's beautiful severed limbs musical instruments on the floor with (Miwak,) the protagonist

Claire Branch (stage manager), Theresa Ulrich and  Terry Podgorsky

So... we are now embarking on the next project: RED SHOES as I write this blog. Thankyou audience, for coming and supporting our work. The new piece will be an endurance piece just two dancers/ performers/vocals and physical theater, Dohee Lee and I, with an intense live musiscians/ guest group of performers, and YOU the audience as well, performing among and through out the Seattle's Frye Art Museum. It will also be performed in NewYork as well as the Robert Wilson's Watermill Center. I hope to invite you out for numerous experiments that we have already begun with the public... more later on that.

Thankyou all... said the black ridinghood......

 Mask by Brian Kooser, boots by Kellie Dunn, Costumes by Christine Tschirgi

The project is on the way ! - introducing team number one first :)

This is a sketch by one of our collaborator/Sound sculpter Ela Lamblin.He is a sculptural instrument inventor with a keen awareness of how the body can relates to the instrument in space- and  at the same time able to create beautiful sounds.It will be a device that is integrated with my body on which i can learn to play substantial musical compositions. Most part of our project has already moved into the Frye's Arts Commerce Center( In Seattle Washington ) and everyone is hard at work........

The second photo is of my collaborator and dancing/ music partner for the project Dohee Lee.She is a percussionist/vocalist and dancer that is deeply involved  in the style of Korean shamanistic peformances.She has been coming to our 3rd intensive rehearsals ( all the way from Bay area)and am about to come up for the 4th one!
She is extremely hard core...I was hoping she would push me for this project but ACCORDING TO DOHEE, we ended up pushing each other ,and once we have started going, we had to tear ourselves from the project, and slam the door from each other so we could get some rest at least in the evening, and not keep going insanely like a coked up feverish people, tortured by the project and the pressure we gave our selves.   For me-Coming from the Butoh tradition of drinking SAKE after some session, I have come to realize VERY QUICKLY that Dohee is not only a master of drumming, but A MASTER OF HARD CORE DRINKING as well. She have told me stories that she and her Korean master teachers would drum all night and drink and drink, and DRINK all night ( and Day? ) as well.Goodness! we have hard core fun and challenge each other!.. the rehearsals are often filled with lots of laughter and saying to each other-  towards the end -" Oh my Gahd.....!" and Dohee asking " wow... you guys eat a lot..! "

As Jherek Bischoff, our collaborating composer would say, " dAnG , gIRL! "

  

 In this Blk and white photo taken by Rex Hohlbein, here is Jherek singing the part of the composition with the chamber ensemble that has done some readings of the composition of his and Joshua Kohl's.Joshua and Jherek, Dohee has been composing for the 5 chapters of our contemporary take,  a re -imaginiing  of the Redshoes story that the Degenerate Art Ensemble will perform this spring in Seattle and New York.Along with their music/ sound team, Suzie Kozawa and Robb Kunz will be joining for the sound installation that will accompany our pieces. In the photos, there are (Dohee singing, Dylan playing the cello, Briana on the viola, Kendal on the violin, Joshua on Dohee's drum, and Paris also on the violin  )

Here is Trinidad Martinez, my  friend and the star from my last big DAE project at the Moore theatre in Seattle.She is a dancer and a director from her group Magpie Productions. She has been TIRELESSLY helping my rehearsals,the chapter's choreography, being an outside eye, and giving me an honest sharp tongue and extremely objective eye and opinions so I can keep myself on my toes. (! ) She is spanish, I am japanese, we joke about being in the U.S. and comparing everything to our own countries. ( !) I think maybe we did that with Dohee too.
A photo below is Leo Mayberry, Jason and I. Starting with Leo, He is the  bold and  brainiac video artist who creates wild and playful, great obssesive, complicated  ideas onto a screen, always working with a challenging concept of illusion of the eyes, and he has been an incredible creative partner on the video concept working with the story, the charactors, the vision, , along with me and the team. (Leo and I somehow always go late in the night NERDING INTENSELYon the project plan and it is always a strange and relentless lullaby to Joshua, who ends up snoring HEAVILY on the couch while we are still scribbling and experimenting  with paper cuts or mock-ups on our living room floor ) The Scene with the mysteriously beautiful artificial trees is the scene of the "Black riding hood". She
disguises her self as the mischievous girl in the forest but she is also the wolf. Who has made the trees?

 Above photo is Jason, he MADE THE TREES for the video realm as well for the sets. Jason Puccinelli, our new team collaborator and guest here, is biting on a SWAN's neck. Yes, there is a swan chapter that I will be dancing, inspired by the WILD SWANS, by Hans Christian Andersen. I will explain why so many fairy tales are intertwined with the actual story later, I would like to talk about Jason. He is a painter/ performance artist and and also an installation artist who has a very strong vision and a unique perception. He makes work that asks viewers to question the society we live in and immerses them in carefully constructed interactive performance installations.I enjoy very much working with him ! He is creating the sets and most of the props for the project. He and I have had intense brain-storming sessions in the beginning with the concept escpescially of the protagonist's journey through out the piece.We have been focusing greatly on the SWAN CHAPTER lately, and continuing our dialogue as it keeps evolving to an exciting place. Below is Joshua Kohl of DAE. ( Degenerate Art Ensemble) and above -mentioned people at work! Team number two will be positing next week!

       

The Mall; Westlake Center

Today was an active day...!( Sunday) I danced in front of the Westlake mall... where Christian evangelists of  all kinds were ranting, the home less youths were hanging out, the shoppers and perhaps tourists.. just all kinds of people comming from diffrent direction, walking around. As I started, pretty much immediately, the youths came charging at me, from across the fountain park, and asked" can we dance with you, please?" and I was shocked and excited, "SURE!" I said, and all of a sudden there was more than one, two, and then three, four started dancing with me, and they even started the"wave" holding hands, and I danced weaving among the arms in and out. I was overwhelmed how positive and welcomming they were, with big smiles, and huge enthusiasm. When Rex lifted the camera towards them, they got so excited! One of the boy and I danced a sweet duet.

Rex Hohlbein, was shooting with his camera to take these photos of the youths who danced with me......

There was some cute group of shopping girls who were watching for a while got a courage to take photos and ran over next to me so I posed... and then more people taking photos, couple of old ladies staring intensely, I saw some family with little kids stopping and watching intrigued.Someone hiding in the bushes video taping  too.... all kinds, all kinds of people stopping, smiling,gawking, and looking confused, too! The youths that danced with me thanked me so sweetly I was stunned and confused myself. Something blurrted out of my mouth because I thought I must say something to respond, and I acidentally bit my tongue..( I was still dancing, feeling  all of a sudden nervous and shy ,I looked over to Rex who has stood pretty far away, trying so hard not to be in the way of the interactions, he was grinning VERY BIG.Joshua came this time too, I can see him in the corner of my eye..and has gave me moral support, it was so nice:) I saw an intense man walk  slowly by, also homeless, he even stopped to stare. The guards who wore bright yellow ( my friend Colin calls them copsycles because they are on bikes) came over, and ofcourse first I tensed up ready to be warned or to be yelled at, but they seem to be so caring and gentle, I couldnt tell what they were saying to the homeless folks, but later Joshua told me that they even knew every single person's name and they seem to all know each other and were almost councelling them... One of the guard in a dark uniform walked over to me and kindly told me that the police would not give me hell if I stayed in a certain area.While I was dancing, Rex seemed to made many friends with the community down here! He has such a warm and welcomming energy, and always give encouraging words,always seemd to give everyone an equal respect. he was telling the youths that he will bring the photos next sunday and meet them, perhaps to do a session with them also. I later went to the movement jam at the Velocity Dance Center.I got to dance with some new people there...ofcourse it felt surreal to be there after the earlier encounters....but I felt encouraged , got more courage to ask people to dance with me there.Ok, thankyou for today....everyone, everyone.

visiting the skate board park first attempt

This last saturday Rex (the photographer) and I went to the Marginal way Skateboard park.It was a sunny sunny day, and we were ? ? where did the skaters go...? confused to why they were not gathered at under the viaduct.We were hoping to talk to a bunch of them if we could take pictures and collaborate with them while I dance in the pool with them..., a dream. There was about only  two skaters looking nervous that I was approaching them.(ofcourse I am decked out in white kabuki makeup and a costume, pretty scary)and one other skater, who was cought in the middle of all of this funny  artsy- fartsey business and felt pressured by the situation who had to dissappear in a flash of seconds, I GUESS I UNDERSTOOD IT MUST HAVE BEEN A LITTLE STRANGE.None the less, we got a kind- of- a- permission from the two boys and I thought they were nice to let us crash their prescious practice space. One of them told me that since its such a nice sunny day,everyone was at all the outdoor parks, like the one up near the zoo.......
Rex set up a tripod and I just started dancing.It was cold in an icy way, this concrete realm...The two of the skaters were cautious, I can sense them.It felt even colder...I could feel it in my shoulders, arms, and down my spine...I wished there were many of them, so I could talk to some of them, one of them, to the ones who do not mind something strange, curious, and to give us a chance,I wished at least even a strong reaction , to say " hey, get out!" to start a dialogue. but ofcourse we stepped into their territory.I  definitelywould like to come back again.SLowly, once in a long wHile,.. the skaters skated a quick passing -by, which made me excited.But  it felt lonely to me, More please...!  it was too empty.A beer-bellied guy with a beer appeared yelling something at me, something about making fun of a mime, or something.Oh, goodness, great, drunkenness again... he continiously yelled something rude to me, which I couldnt understand, and to Rex too, I kept dancing, just a little more, see what happens... but the two skaters took a BIG BREAK since he started to poke fun at us.What a delicate situation..! I felt like I learned something this day.. and more inpired to continue to come talk to them, definitely when all of their community is around! Ok, to not seem to bummed, a butoh video of the day is: Atsushi Takenouchi san. I met him briefly in NY last year.A gentle and kind man, a masterful dancer.

RaiNY dAY and test shoots with Rex

THis morning I put my white kabuki makeup on, put on the Mandy Greer's costume from the charactor Shiro from the last project Sonic Tales, and met with Rex Hohlbein to do some portrait shoots, then we went to the Skate board park under the viaduct, and then to the RedSquare of University of Washington again. Ok, I messed up on the date of the last posted blog...I have just published one that is on TODAY"S DATE but it was actually for a one few days ago... it was in fact last week.I love these photos, a study of light and shadows... and also a realm of some kind.

These are the correct photos for today, Feb 10th. The skateboard park was quite beautiful.According to Rex  the photographer, his nephew and some skaters have built the site, ( it is called Marginal Way Skate Park  ) and I have never seen such a place.It was kind of ghostly without the skaters, in a beautiful eerie way..with this almost chalky white day, but next shoot, we are going to crash in (?) to the skaters when they are chalkfull of them, and ask if I could possibly dance in their realm, with them.So today is kind of a test shoot :) I am sure it is going to be a wild crazy ride when we shoot with them.I recently went to watch another skatepark in Ballard neighborhood, and became in awe of their art.
The rain started to already drizzle, and by the time we got to the REDSQUARE, pretty later in the day.. it was umbrella time. I danced with the rain and Rex's camera for a while and then realized I was a bit afriad of slipping on the wet ground.I felt a slip there, and here, ans so began to minimize my movement to extremely slow...gravitationally slow, enjoying the dropping of the weight of the limbs...  from my slug-like internal looking out..I could see the students busily hurrying somewhere gripping their umbrellas, their eyes squinting, shielding from the rain bits.I can see that they are passing by, passing by as I get reaaly slower...They seem to be the lines of rain bits rushing by, criss crossing around me.It was definitely more of being in a tokyo street intersection.They began to feel like ants or insects or herd of cows passing by...what a different feeling from the last time I was here, the lively morning. I got more internal now. I even see poor Rex squinting his eyes, straining to take a picture. I sympasize and come out of my senses,.. then I felt the water from my hair gets into my eyes and realize its all of a sudden cold and I am actually very drenched.Then I get another second wind  from my body, opposite of my feelings and of my will, it finally starts to dance. That few moments made me happy.
I decided to put BUTOH inspiring dance of the day video by one of my favorite Butoh dancer Ko Murobushi.Please enjoy!