Go Fun Me

On Friday, I was at Canasian's Kickstart Festival where four works in progress were being presented. Two of them worked for me while two did not appeal. The first miss was an improvised piece between two dancers. As they string together a series of movements in response to each other, they also asked personal questions. As one of the dancer admitted near the end, he was "zoning out" tonight. So it might have been engaging for the participants as an exercise but dull for the audience. The second miss was an interrogation into the Asian woman experience especially as a fetishized image in the West. It was a maudlin and cliché performance art that included Bowie's China Girl.

Yume-Iro (Dream Colour) was more enjoyable. A fusion of taiko and martial arts movement, as well as well as rhythmic chants and modern dance, it presented an interesting exploration of Japanese themes in a contemporary setting. Know the Rules, Win The Game was also based on Japanese history, that of the Taikomochi (or court jester). A humorous look at the tension between artists and arts patron (who fund their work), it was both physical and droll.