Nibroll: Dry Flower @ The Kitchen

Tokyo-based Nibroll brings its latest spectacular, multi-layered work to The Kitchen…

Nibroll: Dry Flower (U.S. Premiere)

Nibroll, the Tokyo-based interdisciplinary art collective, makes its debut at The Kitchen with the U.S. premiere of Dry Flower. Founded in 1997 by choreographer Mikuni Yanaihara, the company draws equally from the talents of Yanaihara, composer Yuki Kato, videographer Keisuke Takahashi, lighting designer Kai Takinoiri and fashion designer Mitsushi Yanaihara to produce lavish, visually spectacular, multi-layered works rooted in the social contradictions of Japan's raging youth culture. Internationally acclaimed, Nibroll's works have been presented in France, Germany, India, Thailand and the U.S., where they were praised for their "dazzling Cubist attack…. [The company] dissects time, space and direction…[laying] it all bare for the audience to pick and choose" (Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh). Performances are November 3-6, 2004 at 8pm. Tickets are $20 ($16 for students, senior citizens and Kitchen members). A lunch-break performance is scheduled on November 5 at 12-Noon. Tickets for the lunch-break are $10.

With Dry Flower, Yanaihara and Nibroll bring the world of media and movement to a whole new level, blending superb video work, keen-edged dance, a pop-infused score, white-hot lighting, and fantastical costumes. In this visionary world, straight from the street, spiky dances rife with abrupt humiliations and collapsing partnerships share the stage with drifting petals and stampeding gazelles. Movements are condensed, incidents rapidly processed- "they do not carry anything mental and do not create any story as if it's an endlessly meaningless making up of times" (Ballet, Ongakunotomo Press, Japan).

Nibroll's process as an art collective allows its members to explore the show's concepts individually. Each element is designed alone so that the show becomes a dance performance, a music concert, a movie and a fashion show all at once. In this poetic illumination of the senses, elements are layered, creating multiple simultaneous effects and capturing the mobility and fleeting nature of everyday existence.

A related exhibition opening will take place on Thursday, November 4 from 6-8pm at Transplant Gallery (525 West 29th street, 2nd floor, www.transplantny.com). The gallery will host the first solo exhibition of Nibroll's graphic designer Keiko Itakura. The show will continue until December 4th. For more information, please contact Yuki Minami ([email protected] 212-505-0994).

About the Artists:
Created in 1997 by choreographer Mikuni Yanaihara, Nibroll was first invited to perform the first part of The Town Series titled Let's Go to Hayashi's House at the Avignon Performing Arts Festival, OFF. In March 2000, Nibroll premiered the second installment of the series, Tokyo Municipal Pool #1, followed by No Parking in November 2000. No Parking was subsequently performed at the Le Centre Choreographique Internationale de la Seine Saint Denis (France), and was awarded the National Conference Participant Award. In 2001, Nibroll embarked on their first U.S. tour after an invitation from the Oregon Dance Festival and San Francisco Butoh Festival. February 2002 brought the premiere of Coffee, which later toured to Berlin, Paris, New York, New Delhi and Bangkok. In the latter half of 2002, the group began presenting its 'Note' concept in three different styles: as a fashion show (Hinomaru Note), theater piece (Note Behind) and dance (Note). In addition to their stage work, Nibroll has produced various films, their own fashion brand ("Nibroll About Street"), and their own music label ("Nibroll Technique"). www.nibroll.com

Funding:
Dance programs at The Kitchen are sponsored by Altria Group, Inc. Additional support is provided by the Harkness Foundation for Dance.

Media contact:
Isabelle Deconinck
212-255-5793 x14
[email protected]
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Box Office:
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