I had to do a second review of the NY International Fringe Festival for OffOffOnline.com. See published review here. I was again limited to 400 words but had more to say, so here is the extended review.
JAPANESE COOL
A ninja is defined in Japanese as “one who utilizes clandestine skills.” Hip hop is defined in America as a “popular urban youth culture including rap music and break dancing.” Somewhere in the unlikely intersection of these, between Japanese tradition and American commercialism, lies Orientarhythm, perhaps the most exciting and entertaining blended theater to hit the melting pot of New York City.
Performed at Our Lady of Pompei Demo Hall on August 14, the show claimed to “combine elements of traditional Japanese culture with Hip Hop dance to create a completely new type of dance performance.” It’s impossible to define the show as just one form of entertainment. Is it dance? Is it martial arts? Is it mime? Is it a drum concert? The answer is, all of the above.
Though the 8 pieces comprising the evening varied considerably, an audience favorite was Drum’n’base, where 2 dancers improvised to drum beats. After remaining in the signature Orientarhythm hybrid dance style, which was created in 1999, they shifted to a game of throw and catch with an invisible ball. Though convincing on its own, the act truly took off when audience members were invited to join in. “Can you see it?” one of the dancers asked before hurling the invisible ball at a member of the third row. Before long the audience was entirely engaged.
The defining factor in the troupe’s original style is their use of nunchakus, a self-defense weapon often seen in clichéd Jackie Chan films. Traditionally they are made of two foot-long wooden sticks linked by a chain that stretches to the width of the body. Here they are used not only for martial arts purposes but as complementary props to the dancing. The company is holding a free workshop (Monday, August 20th, 10am) at Peridance Center for those willing to learn.
Their rapid movement is exhilarating, and only gets better when the lights go out and the nunchakus glow in the dark. The firework shapes are reminiscent of those a child makes with a glow stick on the 4th of July.
This is certainly not the only nod to American culture. At several points during the dance fights they go into slow motion with a change to a green background as a reference to The Matrix. During the glow in the dark scene, the music sings, “May the force be with you”, à la Star Wars. In between peaceful oriental rhythms and ethnic drums a familiar Gwen Stefani song blares about Harajuku Girls.
Though the majority of costumes reflect conventional Japanese robes or marital arts uniforms, in the piece titled, Mirror, the dancer and his supposed mirror image (another dancer) sport bright Adidas jackets. This serves to not only demonstrate another influence of American culture but to enhance the image of the figure on the other side of the mirror by the respective dancer’s jacket reading Adidas backwards. The reflection is a subtle but effective touch.
Like the costumes, the lighting played a key role in the production. A projector showed various images and videos in the background. A mixture of red, dark, and bright lights helped to set the tone for the different pieces, from the softness of Sakura to the fear of Shadow Master.
The only downside to this culture-infused show is that it strongly plays upon many of the overused stereotypes of the Japanese. To this point, Asians have remained somewhat of an ignored minority in the realm of American theater. With minimal representation it seems a shame to use preconceived notions to this extent in such a groundbreaking show, though the reasons are clear. Perhaps any representation is better than none at all (think blackface exploitation in the vaudeville and minstrel shows of the 1920s and 30s).
Still, though, Orientarhythm, stays true to its goal of presenting “Japanese cool.” It may be with this energetic show that the Asian culture makes a permanent mark on American culture.
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