Dancing Asia/New York
Friday-Saturday, May 14-15
8:00 p.m.
Curated by Japanese-born contemporary dancers Eiko & Koma, this playful program of dance "shorts" brings together Asian and Asian American dancers from different backgrounds, all residing in the greater New York area. Each dancer performs a brief solo or duet piece on a 6' by 6' platform. Fellow dancers and the audience encircle the dance space, with wine available, to form a cozy salon experience. The program celebrates dance, creativity and commonality among Asian and Asian American dancers. Participants include Eiko & Koma, Yoshiko Chuma, Uttara Asha Coorlawala, Koosil-ja Hwang, Rajika Puri, Aki Sasamoto, John-Mario Sevilla, Muna Tseng, U Win Maung, Keo Wilford, and Yin Mei. Copresented with Danspace Project. Click here for bios of performers.
$5 students; $7 members; $10 nonmembers

City/Dans: Eiko & Koma with Sharon Dennis Wyeth Tree Song
at Danspace Project, St. Mark's Church, 131 East 10 Street (at 2nd Avenue)
Thursday-Sunday, May 27-30
8:30 p.m.
Performed in St. Mark's Church's graveyard, Eiko & Koma's newest work continues their exploration of the body as a part of the landscape and the landscape as an extension of the body. Author and singer Sharon Wyeth (whose books for young adults have received numerous awards) performs songs during the performance that blend her texts with music composed by her 19-year old daughter Georgia Wyeth. Each night's performance is followed by an informal reception, featuring Koma's artwork. "The great power of Tree Song [lies] in its inexorable flow and in the shapes these two highly focused, primordial creatures made in passing." --Jennifer Dunning, The New York Times. Copresented with Danspace Project. For more information, visit www.danspaceproject.org. Eiko & Koma are also offering a movement workshop on May 26-29. For details, contact Movement Research at (212) 598-0551 or visit www.MovementResearch.org . Click here for bios of performers.
Free Admission. Rain or shine unless thunderstorms. Please call (212) 674-8194 for reservations and weather cancellations.

Film and Discussion

The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam
(Ann Marie Fleming/2003/90 min./35mm)
Wednesday, May 26
6:30 p.m.
Acrobat, magician, comic, linguist…Chinese born Long Tack Sam was one of the greatest vaudeville acts of the early 20th century. Canadian filmmaker Ann Marie Fleming travels the globe to unravel the mystery of her great-grandfather, once an internationally acclaimed performer, but now an apparently forgotten entertainer, who opened for the Marx Brothers and became Orson Welles's mentor. Part mystery, part memoir, this documentary is a playful mix of interviews, old snapshots and innovative animation. A discussion with Fleming follows the screening. Courtesy of Global Mechanic. Cosponsored by the Society of American Magicians.
$5 students; $7 members; $10 nonmembers

Sangam
(Prashant Bhargava/2004/28 min./video)
Thursday, May 13
7:00 p.m.
Raj (Hesh Sarmalkar), a recent immigrant from poverty-stricken Bihar, India and Vivek (Sanjay Chandani), a disillusioned Indian American, cross paths on a Brooklyn-bound subway. As each longs for what the other takes for granted, they face the currents that bind, divide and drive them. Sangam takes its name from the major pilgrimage site in Prayag, India, where three rivers-the Ganges, the Jamuna and the mythical Saraswati-meet, but do not mix. The film weaves traditional narrative with experimental techniques, and debuted at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. A discussion with writer and director Bhargava and actor Sarmalkar moderated by Rachel Cooper, Asia Society, follows screening. A New York premiere. Reception follows.
$5 students; $7 members; $10 nonmembers

Meet the Authors

New Literary Frontiers: Asian American Poetry
Thursday, May 20
6:30 p.m.
Asian American poets Tina Chang, Ravi Shankar and Prageeta Sharma read from their new collections of poetry. In Chang's collection, Half-Lit Houses, the speaker delve into the past, addressing problems of family and heritage that culminate in praising a mythical father. Combining rumination with the use of language as an instrument for music, Shankar's Instrumentality draws the reader deeper into the works with currents of Indian spirituality and western philosophy. Sharma's second collection, The Opening Question, is filled with poems that run the gamut from imaginary urban landscapes to chronological histories. Reception and book signing follow. Cosponsored by the Asian American Writers' Workshop.
$5 students; $7 members; $12 nonmembers
Made possible with the support of the Booth Ferris Foundation.