MICHI tells a manifold story of life. This is a story of ignorance & suppression, of force & resistance, but also the potential of freedom & redemption. It’s our personal stories and also our collective narrative. Perhaps in this commons, we might meet.
MICHI (道) means “path” in Japanese. The performance explores how individually, socially, culturally, and as a species, we navigate all the divergent and collective possibilities of coexisting together. How do we deal with our differences? Can we forge a path beyond our patterns? How do we find and walk our own path within the limitations of the body and the environment?
In MICHI, sound initiates movement, movement initiates visuals, visuals initiate sound, and vice versa through an improvisatory setting. MICHI is a duet between dancer Kiori Kawai and musician Aaron Sherwood. A depth camera tracks Kawai’s movements from above and projects visuals on the ground where she is dancing. Sherwood improvises along with Kawai on different instruments on stage. After the performance, the audience is invited on stage to experience the interactive system.
What is on my path, what is on your path, what is on our path? Whatever it is, this is a way of processing.
Scenes:
1. 日常 - Nichijō (daily life)
2. 無知 - Muchi (ignorance)
3. 鬼 - Oni (agony)
4. 行 - Gyō (practice)
5. 森羅万象 - Shinrabanshō (all nature)
Live music, interactive visuals, code: Aaron Sherwood
Choreography/dance: Kiori Kawai
Crew:
Lighting: Jonathan Pettigrew
Video: Claire Carroll
Vision mixer and photos: Harshini Karunaratne
Stage and Rigging: Gareth Roberts
Sound Engineer: Subin Thompson
Developed in part with support from:
New York University Abu Dhabi Arts Center, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Catwalk Institute, Catskill, NY, USA