The Sunshine Coast is being treated to OrienTik/Portrait an eclectic afternoon of contemporary dance, taiko percussion and classical piano by the Erasga Dance Co. This will be an hour-long powerful performance with an artist's talk to follow. The show is being held in the Chatelech Secondary Theatre on April 1 at 2:30 p.m., presented by the Sunshine Coast Jazz and Entertainment Society.
Erasga Dance is an award-winning diverse, contemporary dance company, founded in 2000 by Alvin Erasga Tolentino. In 2005, the company premiered a milestone work entitled OrienTik/Portrait for two outstanding dancers and two live musicians. The show is a compelling visual-acoustic collage that unifies the power of the taiko drum and classical music, coupled with intricate contemporary choreography.
OrienTik/Portrait forges a new aesthetic, crossing kinetic and musical boundaries. The show promises to reveal an electric & highly specialized juxtaposition of eastern and western rhythms. Three performers join Tolentino on stage, including acclaimed dancer formerly from the Sunshine Coast, Alison Denham, Vancouver's taiko/percussionist Eileen Kage and pianist Alison Nishihara, withcostumes by Katherine Soucie.
The show has currently been playing in Vancouver and has toured many countries "a performance piece to be discovered, created by an artist to be followed" (La Capitale, Brussels, Belgium). Tickets are $15 adults, $12 students and seniors, at Talewind Books in Sechelt, Gaia's Fair Trade in Gibsons and Roberts Creek Health Food Store. For more information call 604-740-8094 or see www.coastjazz.com.
