To mark the commencement of Minh Trans appointment as Assistant Professor in Dance at Reed College, the Dance Program at Reed College will present Minh Tran & Company in a retrospective of the companys work that has, over the past decade, received critical acclaim.
Trans work is particularly noted for its fusion of traditional Asian technique and contemporary Western dance, underscored by an unwavering commitment to breaking down cultural and racial barriers. The value of diversity, the main theme of his works, gives meaning to the content of his choreography. The Oregonian praised Tran for having, a style that is an idiosyncratic fusion of traditional Chinese opera movement and Western postmodern dance, and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer raved, both precise and fast-flowing, Tran is blessed with confident, complex inner musical rhythms.
The program, will be danced by Trans 6-member Portland-based company: Angela Haugejorden, Samuel Hobbs, Jennifer Hong, Riho Katagiri, Carla Mann, and Tran. The program features three works that display the breadth and power of Trans choreography. The first piece, Ancestor (2000) is a tribute to the grandfathers that Tran only had the opportunity to know through family portraits, and features dance vocabulary drawn from Asians martial arts forms. The War Within follows and is an excerpt from the critically acclaimed 1996 work, The Road Home. An autobiographical dance journal, the work depicts Trans escape from Vietnam after the war.
Drawing from the spiritual world of Southeast Asia, the program concludes with Nocturnal Path, an ensemble work for the company based on archaeological reliefs and mural paintings from temples throughout the region. Visual design for this work is provided by artist Christine Bourdette and Lam Quang of Hi-iH Gallery. Nocturnal Path was originally commissioned by the White Bird/Tiffany & Co. New Works Fund with additional support from the Regional Arts & Culture Council, and the National Dance Project for the 2005-2006 season, a program administered by the New England Foundation for the Arts.
These selections of Trans work will also be performed as part of the Footlight Series in March 2009 at John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, Wisconsin (www.jmkac.org); and Luckman Fine Arts Complex, Cal State University, Los Angeles, California (www.luckmanarts.org).
