Don't miss out on the fun and frolic of CONDORS on
March 23 at the Japan America Theatre. Call box
office for tickets at 213-680-3700.
The Japanese American Cultural & Community Center
(JACCC) proudly presents Condors, Japans most
outrageous new dance theater company, in "Love You
Live," on Friday, March 23, 2001 at 8pm at the Japan
America Theatre (JAT) in Little Tokyo in Downtown Los
Angeles. The performance is part of the first U.S.
tour of the wildly playful, all-male group that Dance
Magazine Japan describes as "eros with madness and
joyfulness." The JAT is located at 244 S. San Pedro
St. Tickets are $20/$18 reserved, $17/$15 JACCC
Members, $12 Students/Seniors/Groups.
"Both mysterious and nuttyIf there had been an
applause meter on the premises, the needle would very
likely have swung off the high end for Condors."
NEW YORK TIMES
CONDORS: This crowd-pleasing, all-male "bad boys" of
comedic dance theater from Japan premiered their
signature brand of sexy, spoofy dance theater to rave
reviews in NYC in January 2000. With a corps of
"utterly untrained and vicious" dancers, the company
consists of a dozen neer-do-wells who perform
hilarious and high-energy skits as sumo wrestlers,
bowling pins, and smirking bald brides and grooms,
among other iconic images. Director/choreographer and
lead dancer Ryohei Kondos weightless and razor sharp
movement is combined with unique and kinetic
stagecraft, taking the audience on a wild, rock and
roll ride through pop culture. The company will film
footage in L.A.s Little Tokyo for use in their West
Coast premiere production at the Japan America
Theatre.
Utilizing a casual, free-form, streetwise, movement
style reminiscent of Stomp!, most of the dancers are
formally untrained but all possess unique stage
personalities. The groups standard costume is the
gakuran, a traditional military-style uniform worn for
decades by most Japanese schoolboys. The use of the
gakuran within the context of performances that
subvert Japans patriarchal male identity has gained
them much fashion/style publicity in their home
country. The company performs regularly to
enthusiastic audiences throughout Japan. This
performance is part of their U.S. premiere tour, which
begins in New York.
RYOHEI KONDO (Director/Choreographer) Ryohei Kondo
was selected as one of the top 100 21st Century
Cultural VIPs by Japans SPA Magazine. Kondo is
credited as the new Messiah of the Japanese
contemporary dance by creating his own world of a
comedy dance theatre, which overturned the
pre-existing concept of dance in Japan. "He may be
the Messiah who turns Japanese contemporary dance
world into mainstream entertainment." Bridge
Magazine. Born in Peru and raised in Argentina,
Ryohei Kondo founded Condors in 1996 in Tokyo. He has
directed and choreographed nearly a dozen works for
the company while also working with other artists and
maintaining a solo performance career. His work,
"P-kies Summer Concert 1995," was created for Fuji
Television and toured to more than 40 venues in Japan.
He has also helped international screen and stage
star John Lone realize Lones stage show, "Night and
Day." Kondo made a major international debut as the
lead dancer in Kota Yamazakis "Inflection" in 1994 at
the prestigious International Choreographic
Competition in Bagnolet, France. He has also performed
with butoh pioneer Akira Kasai and such well-known
choreographers as Kuniko Kisanuki and Toshiko Takeuchi
among others.
DIRECTIONS & TICKETS: The Japan America Theatre (JAT)
is located at 244 South San Pedro Street (between 2nd
and 3rd Streets) in Little Tokyo, Downtown Los
Angeles. For tickets, call the JAT Box Office,
213-680-3700, Mon.Sat., 12-5pm or Sun. after 12pm on
show days.
# # #
Selected Year 2000 PRESS QUOTES for Condors:
"A comfortable, harmonious world is instantly
overturned by the group who call themselves the
Condors, a rough gang of bad boys. They are
criticizing dance which heretofore exhibited a taste
for conventional beauty and emphasis on technique.
But rather than loudly critiquing or laughing, they
snicker and play on the stage as though to say, "It's
more fun this way." (Dance Magazine, June 2000)
"Condors clearly are aware of "the second
possibility." Such limits as dance and what is not
dance, male and female, hairdo and physique, white and
black are critiqued along with laughter."
(Ballet, July 2000)
"They dash alone through the Japanese dance scene with
their unprecedented performance full of humor."
(Hanako, February 2000)
"For those who want to laugh all they want to and be
submerged in a little bit of nostalgia. For all those
who were once boys."
(Men's Extra, March 2000)
" They move ceaselessly, shed sweat, fill the theater
with their energy. Winds of frenzy and humor they
stir up as they prepare for their next performance
place, Europe."
(Dance Magazine, May 2000, "Contemporary Dance
Frontier")
"The distance between street dancers and dance on the
stage is far apart. But Condors have that feeling of
familiarity of the street dance. Their attitude of
giving preference to uncommon absurdity over formal
beauty
Is thrilling."
(Beyond Da Vinci, Color Lead Story)
"Full of a daring and lighthearted desire to laugh off
the idea of established dance, they continue to double
betray the audience's expectations and predictions.
Their sense of play communicates itself
to the audience, and the whole theater was enveloped
in laughter.
(Dance Magazine, October 2000)
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