Monday, March 21, 2011

Evanescent Wave: What is the show about?

Evanescent Wave
2015 October 17 and 18
NOHspace Theatre SF
run time: 90 minutes including intermission


What is the show about?
The conceptual framework for Evanescent Wave expresses a mystical quality of being human.  Before the information age kicked in, humans could define themselves by their opposable thumbs and the ability to make tools.  How superior. Well that just doesn’t fly anymore.  So what makes us human, what are our unique qualities?  Books are written.  But this is really the question to ask oneself.

Evanescent Wave explores the power of the feminine.  It celebrates the binding of life and the tender wisdom toward healing and balance.  The information age, which is now, moves us at a mind-blowing pace. The world is at our fingertips. With the onslaught of artificial technology, medicine is improving. Science is changing.  Meanwhile, we can become evermore isolated and overloaded.  We easily become out of touch with the natural world that sustains our very life.  The forests that are breathing fresh air for us and our children's children are desecrated; the plants and animals that make up our bodies and brains are maltreated, even our beloved vineyards, our oil, our gold incurs a debt to the natural order in the locality where resources taken.  Our voracious appetite for all things fabulous creates imbalance to the excess.  It’s strange that even our tech for renewable energy (eg. solar panels) requires rare earth metals. Everything comes from the natural world.  Yet there is a missing link between our appetite and that of common sense. 

“More mining of rare earth metals, however, will mean more environmental degradation and human health hazards. All rare earth metals contain radioactive elements such as uranium and thorium, which can contaminate air, water, soil and groundwater. Metals such as arsenic, barium, copper, aluminum, lead and beryllium may be released during mining into the air or water, and can be toxic to human health. Moreover, the refinement process for rare earth metals uses toxic acids and results in polluted wastewater that must be properly disposed of. The Chinese Society of Rare Earths estimated that the refinement of one ton of rare earth metals results in 75 cubic meters of acidic wastewater and one ton of radioactive residue. The 1998 leak of hundreds of thousands of gallons of radioactive wastewater into a nearby lake was a contributing factor to Molycorp’s shutdown in 2002. Many new mines, including Molycorp, are now developing more environmentally friendly mining techniques… Ironically, as prices for electronic products come down, people tend to buy more and more of them, so demand for rare earth metals keeps rising.  “In the 21st century, we are facing a lot of resource issues—energy, water, food and metals,” said Graedel. “Ultimately each individual consumer is driving the whole rate of expansion of resource use…do we really need all this stuff?”  (RareEarth Metals: Will We Have Enough? Renee Cho 9.19.2012 State of the PlanetBlogs From The Earth Institute Columbia University)

It may be, the imbalances we’ve created from our consumption, consumes us in some way, creates imbalance in ourselves--depression, anxiety, insomnia.  Our relationship with nature is reflective of the feminine principle. Natural environments have a powerful nurturing effect on restoring us to handle and confront the quandary.   Brave we are with confronting the truths that makes us human. Choices to live considerately, requires a kind of feminine strength, where the hardened view and viewer expand and soften his/her before the choice, infinite possibility. 

Another concept running through Evanescent Wave, is the survival of the arc of innocence, past-present-future. 
It could be the ark.

In engineering terms an evanescent wave creates a total internal reflection. It is used to develop optics like fiber optics and the binoculars.  When an evanescent wave motion hits a boundary at just the right angle it creates total internal reflection.  So metaphorically speaking, we are engaging the views and the viewers of the audience, in a relaxed playful way to have a look.  Evanescent Wave is a happening, an experience not to be missed—light, dance and alignment. 

On the other hand, that can’t be all.  Mpowerdance is about entertainment too.  So really you can leave your brain at home if you like and just enjoy the show. You’ll find a relief from the extreme tension that plagues the day to day.

It will be a treat to witness the distinctive performance of four exceptionally talented dancers and artists.  Sasha Silveanu, a cultural archeologist and cellist.  Jane Marshall, a microbiologist, yoga and dance teacher,  Lena Venable a paragliding world adventurist, and  Mary Power, artistic director and leader in mind-body fitness. Equally exciting, two authors will perform with us on these evenings. Author Richard Power is an expert on Global Security and Climate Change, a Poet and a yoga teacher.  And, author Josie Iselin mother, visual artist, who researches and photographs our ocean seaweeds.  And we are fortunate to show a short film by director Denny Silver.

What is the Mpowerdance project about?
Evanescent Wave is the first performance to benefit Mpowerdance Project.

Mpowerdance Project integrates dance process and performance with an emphasis on strengthening a sustainable relationship with nature, science and media.

Mpowerdance Project is developing outreach programs that seek to promote underserved kids with dance training and performance opportunity, to support cancer survivors with beneficial exercise programs, and to bridge these communities, through media and dance events.

The Global Dance Project (GDP) is an Mpowerdance choreographic project for small settings in local and global community involving the use of media and dance-art performance.  The GDP seeks to build and strengthen community by creating a fun experiential and informed relationship between nature, humans and technology through dance.

Your tax-deductible donations further the growth and support of these programs and future events. Mpowerdance Project is fiscally sponsored by Independent Arts and Media.

If you are unable to attend the show, your donations are important for the growth of this project.