A dance for all types

Deirdre Newman

A man and a woman betrothed since birth participate in an ancient

tribal wedding ritual and are left alone for the first time on their

wedding day. They express a whirlwind of emotions, from shyness to

lust, as they do a sensual pas de deux with some body contortions

that are reminiscent of Cirque du Soleil.

This is the setting for “Unknown Territory,” a ballet

choreographed by internationally renowned Choo-San Goh, which will be

performed by Ballet Pacifica in March.

The contemporary ballet series “From Beethoven to The Naughty

Ones” features an eclectic mix of four dances that all explore

personal or group relationships.

“Part of our mission is to keep the art form alive and

progressing, means doing a lot of different works,” said Molly Lynch,

artistic director.

“Unknown Territory” is directed by Janek Schergen, who worked with

Goh on the original staging of the ballet for the Washington Ballet

Company in Washington, D.C.

The costumes for the ballet include bodysuits with bright splashes

of color for the women, trunks and ribbons of color around their

chest for the men, face paint and colorful headpieces. Just as the

wedding ritual itself is a blend of various Asian cultures, the

tribal music is also a melange of eastern sounds.

One of the challenges of directing the piece is getting the

dancers to convey the raw emotion of the tribal ritual, Schergen

said, as evidenced by a rehearsal Wednesday.

As the dancers practiced the beginning of the ritual, Schergen

gently reminded them of the atmosphere they were trying to recreate

“Remember, the whole thing is tribal, not suburban,” Schergen

said.

To help them understand the richness of a ritual that is done

precisely the same way century after century, Schergen tells his

dancers stories, “so that they have a dialogue in their head” to work

with.

Later, working with the men, he demonstrated a move in which the

dancers throw their bodies toward the ground and pound the floor.

“Please don’t take this the wrong way, because you’re actors at

this moment, but there should be a lot more testosterone,” the

director said.

The ballet is unique because the women are en pointe, a departure

from most ritualistic dances, which feature bare feet. This is to

accentuate the female dancers’ femininity, Schergen said, as Goh

wanted to highlight the difference between the sexes.

Hitomi Yamada, 28, the petite dancer who performs the bride’s

role, acknowledged the challenge of playing a character who has no

choice over her marriage.

“I don’t know about this lady, but if it were me, I don’t know if

I’d be happy to get married,” Yamada said. “[As the character], I’m

excited, but scared.”

The other ballets featured are “Wake, Yet Wake”, a glimpse into

the struggle of obtaining trust, loyalty and love; “The Naughty

Ones,” a light, jazzy ballet featuring four couples shaking and

shimmying through songs from the Texas blues band of the same name;

and “Im Print,” choreographed by Shawn Hounsell during the company’s

Choreographic Project last summer. The project serves as an incubator

for choreographers to develop their work.

“There’s not very many projects like that, where you allow a

choreographer to do a piece of their own choosing,” Lynch said.

The series is dedicated to Lila Zali, founder of Ballet Pacifica,

who passed away earlier this year.