By Caroline Berg in Cheverly, Maryland (China Daily)
May 24, 2013
When Sabrina Jaafer told her friend from the Alvin Ailey American
Dance Theater in New York that she and the Nai- Ni Chen Dance Company
were going to perform at the Publick Playhouse in the Maryland suburbs
of Washington, her friend gushed.
"Oh, you're going to love it!" the friend told Jaafer. "They have the best audience."
After a stringed prelude by the Ahn Trio, which played live onstage
throughout the 11-piece dance and music presentation, stirred the
audience to hoots and applause, the dancers were confident this was
going to be a good Temptation of the Muses - their last performance of
the show this season.
"During the duet, I could hear the audience gasp when Daniel
[Johnson] lifted me, and they always made a sound when I'd go into a
handstand," Ekaterina Chernikhova said with a laugh in recalling the
performance of Lullaby for My Favorite Insomniac.
The 75-minute program is a collaborative effort involving Taiwan
choreographer Nai-Ni Chen, the Korean violin-cello-piano Ahn sisters'
trio, original works by American composer Kenji Bunch and the
improvisation of Chen's international dance troupe.
Chen drew inspiration for the movement and sound in Temptation of the
Muses from the poem A Word for Freedom, by Afghan-born Latif Nazemi
about a Persian poet. It begins, "Let's kiss water / the root of
civilization / a word for freedom".
"I've used the idea of water as freedom to choreograph this piece,
and with this idea you see more of an Asian touch with the sensibility
of how I use the dancers," Chen said. "The quietness, the stillness and
the subtleties in the movement - in this piece you can see more of that
influence from my Asian cultural background."
Chen incorporates elements of her Asian heritage into her
choreography whenever she deems it appropriate for her cross-cultural
contemporary troupe. In addition to original works, the company also
performs a range of traditional Chinese pieces, including Hubei Coin
Stick Dance, Mongolian Chopstick Dance, and Love Song of Xishuangbanna.
Temptation is more American than Chinese in its style, with touches
of jazz, classic rock and country in the score. However, careful study
of the choreography reveals Asian undertones.
"It may not be entirely clear that this movement is from martial arts
or that movement is from Peking Opera, but the influence is evident in
the staging and the visual elements," Chen said.
"You can compare it to a Chinese painting with the contrasts between
the yin and yang, and the empty white part, and the strokes of
calligraphy."
Chen said she always takes these ideas into consideration when she
choreographs a dance, regardless of the overall cultural style of the
performance - East, West or otherwise.
Seven dancers and a lighting specialist traveled 3? hours from their
home base in New Jersey in two vehicles with Chen to perform at the
historic 500- seat theater in Cheverly, Maryland. Their partners
onstage, the Ahn Trio, traveled from New York City and Montana.
Chen has her dancers congregate around the musicians onstage -
sitting with them, watching them, flirting with them, crawling under a
piano, standing on their chairs. The choreographer layers all of these
elements in a way that unites the movement with the music.
"The dancers must be very aware of where they are and, at the same
time, they can't show any resistance," Chen said. "We have to show how
we are really blending together and not have any cautious feelings
translated to the audience."
After the performance, all of the performers met with audience
members at a reception in the lobby. The patrons eagerly discussed with
Chen and the performers the choreography and feelings experienced
throughout the diverse range of numbers.
"It's so great how you incorporated the musicians and connected all
the elements in the choreography," one person told Chen, who has been
running her company since 1988.
Chen said the trio was a little stiff as it played through the
integrated movement at the beginning, but she has seen them open up over
time and become more comfortable with the choreography.
"In terms of Nai-Ni's choreography, [Temptation] is not as physically
demanding as something like Whirlwind, which is like a marathon,"
Chernikhova said of a dance by Chen that was inspired by her time
traveling along the Silk Road in China. "Dancing to live music is the
more challenging element in this work."
Nai-Ni Chen and the Ahn Trio have been performing and tweaking this
show since its premiere in New York in 2010. Over a span of about 30
performances, dancers have come and gone.
Chen will be holding auditions on June 3 in preparation for another
season. Her current troupe is made up of dancers from the United States,
China, the Republic of Korea, Russia, Italy and Cuba.
Although Chen draws inspiration from a wide variety of sources,
including poems, calligraphy, travel, current events and music, she said
she often gets ideas just from improvising with her dancers in the
studio.
"A sudden inspiration will come up and I'll remember something from
my childhood and I'll put that memory somehow into my choreography,"
Chen said. "I think because of who I am, subconsciously [my Asian
background] is going to come out in my work no matter what."
Link to original article: http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/epaper/2013-05/24/content_16529379.htm
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In Song of the Water Lily, dancer Ying Shi
embodies the beauty and purity of a young girl. She carries a fan
ornamented with a lovely billowing scarf which resembles a flower petal.
The lighting and music create the atmosphere of a lily pond, down to
the sound of water droplets and bird songs spliced in with the
traditional folk music. There is a wide sweep of movement, from
luscious slow and controlled extensions and port des bras, to a rapid
success of turns executed while spotting the floor. The dance is at
once ornate and colorful as it is earthy and primal.
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