Water. Fire. Wind. Life spiraling into light from the deepest ocean.
Water. Fire. Wind. Life spiraling into light from the deepest ocean.
This is the vision of dancer Shizuno Nasu for her latest performance/art collaboration. The work encompasses dance, music, painting and sculpture and will be presented by the Volcano Art Center at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.
“On the last full moon of the year, my dance will be a song in praise of life,” Nasu said. “I am dancing with life itself, expressing the magnificent drama, fleeting and precious. Spirit and nature can be seen in the movement of wind, the stark land of Pele and the interweaving energies of opposites, yin and yang. … We must heal the earth with renewed spirit and awareness of the interconnectedness of all beings and elements.”
Joining Shizuno on stage will be dancers Reiko Inoue from Kyoto, Japan, and Jenn Eng of Hilo. Joe Okuda’s nature soundscape will be embellished with his live percussion. Painter Susumu Sakaguchi’s large abstract painting on paper and Stephen Freedman’s sculptures will enhance the performance space.
Nasu was born in Osaka, Japan, and began her classical ballet training at age 3. She was chosen as an exchange student with the Bolshoi Ballet at age 7 and made her debut as a professional dancer at age 19. She has won high praise throughout Europe, Asia and the U.S.
Nasu’s quest for her own stylistic voice led her to study old Japanese mythological dances. She undertook a multi-year pilgrimage, performing in every prefecture of Japan, and deepening within her the skill and spirit of mai, the dance.
Beyond the influence of the West and the East, Nasu continues to refine her unique dance attuned to the rhythms of Mother Nature. She currently resides in Volcano, where she generates new spiral visions, teaches dance and aspires to bring cultures together through international cultural exchange.
“Dancing to the Moon” will take place at VAC’s Niaulani Campus in Volcano Village. Tickets are $12 for VAC members and $15 for nonmembers, and can be purchased by calling VAC at 808-967-8222 or at www.volcanoartcenter.org.