The Mikado: A Concert Version

Posted on by Thor

On opening night of the Mikado, The Orlando Taiko Dojo demonstrated the traditional art of Japanese drums known as “Taiko.” Taiko
drums were used in battlefields and have been used in religious
ceremonies and festivals for over 2,000 years in Japan. Besides learning
the techniques of playing the drums, students learn about other
essential values in life like respect, manners, concentration, tenacity,
and teamwork. I had sketched them before. So I saved my sketching for the Mikado performance. Producer Theresa Smith-Levin and Nicole Dupre did an incredible job making this a cross-collaborative experience, with a historical exhibition by the Orange County Regional History Center, as well as art adorning the lobby.

The Mikado by Gilbert and Sullivan is a fun, lighthearted opera about romance in ancient Japan. Nanki-Poo (Bryan Hayes) arrived in Titipu disguised as a peasant and looking for Yum-Yum (Tamir Hernandez Rosa), a young girl he fell in love with several months earlier. However, she was already set to marry Ko-Ko (Stephen Cauley). Naki-Poo, in his despair, contemplates suicide. Ko-Ko persuades Nanki Poo to let him behead him instead. To clinch the
deal, Ko-Ko even agrees to let Nanki-Poo marry Yum-Yum, providing he
agrees to be executed in one month. However, Ko-Ko can’t kill anything, not even a fly.

This
production had some modern twists with references to Facebook and
Puba, first lord of the treasury, lord chief justice,
commander-in-chief, etc (John Segers) references his grand
ancestry discovered with some help from 23 and Me. Through
collaboration with the Asian American community in Orlando, Central
Florida Vocal Arts in partnership with Space Coast Symphony Orchestra
used this work as an opportunity to celebrate Japanese art and culture
via this satirical work.

Directed by Asian American director, Kit Cleto, with support from veteran opera director Eric Pinder, this production teambrought creative comedy to the stage through an outstanding cast. Nicole Dupre had hand painted many of the costumes. The lavish amount of work was astonishing. I got to see her handiwork up close on her own dress, as well as one on  Theresa Smith-Levin, afterwords in the lobby reception. Nicole’s grandmother was in the audience seeing one of her productions for the first time.

My favorite funny moment in the show came when an exuberant dancer (Geoff) leaped with balletic grace while waving a red ribbon, and an old man (Ian Campbell)
followed him waving the same type of red ribbon like it was a soggy wet
noodle, reflecting his dour disposition. There was humor and joy in the
performance, and despite the difficulties and conflicts, life seemed worth
the joy of living before our final bow. 

Buddha’s Birthday Celebration

Posted on by Thor

May 7th was the Worldwide Celebration of the Buddha’s birthday. The  day celebrated the birth of Prince Siddhartha Gautama, founder of the religion and Buddha himself. In China, Buddhists celebrate this day at temples by literally bathing the Buddha, reciting sutras and lighting incense.

 The Guang Ming Temple, (6555 Hoffner Ave Orlando, FL 32822), had a day long celebration. As soon as I arrived I sat down to capture this group of drummers in front of the temple. Behind me people were crowded under the food tents and before I left I made sure to sample the food available. The festival began with a beautiful ceremony, and was followed by the bathing of the Buddha’s and a large food festival.

A pristine Buddha sat next to the drummers looking out at the crowd. With his many drums the energy in the crowd grew. The Orlando Taiko Dojo demonstrated the traditional art of Japanese drums known as “Taiko”. Taiko drums were used in battlefields and have been used in religious ceremonies and festivals for over 2000 years in Japan.

The troupe’s dynamic style emphasizes speed, fluidity and
power that are combined with their choreographed motions to create a
performance rich in sight and sound. I do believe I have sketched this Dojo group before at Dragon boat races, and I love the energy.

Awakening the Dragon Boat

Posted on by Thor

Leslie Silvia gave me a tip that a Dragon Boat was going to be launched at Lake Fairview at the Orlando Rowing Club. As I approached the park, pink balloons let me know I was at the right place. After I parked I walked up towards the lake because I could see the dragon boat on a trailer behind a pick up truck. There was a chain link fence between me and the boat so I walked the length of the fence looking for an entry. I didn’t find one, all the entrances were locked up. I walked back the other way towards a crowd of people many of them wearing pink shirts. As I approached this crowd underneath a picnic pavilion, Leslie saw me and approached. She gave me a program and explained what was about to happen. Before the boat would be launched, there would be opening remarks and a performance of the Orlando Taiko Dojo. I set up and started sketching the performers. The rhythmic drumming didn’t last very long and I rushed to get as much detail into the sketch as I could before they left the stage. I was just starting to apply color as the group stopped and prepared to go home. I had chosen to sit at the table where the performers had left their supplies so when they were done I found myself surrounded. A little boy saw me working and stood right in front of me watching me work. His friend tried to convince him to go play on the swings but he stood transfixed. I had to lean side to side so I could see around him.
When a new Dragon Boat is launched a black mark is painted on the center of the dragon’s eye. According to legend, the dotting of the eye awakens the dragon, and grants the boat and it’s racers good luck. Dragon boat racing commemorates the life of Qu Yuan who lived in the third century BC. He was a minister who advocated reforms for his home state of Chu. The king refused to listen and Qu Yuan was banished. When Qu Yuan heard his home had been invaded, he drowned himself in the Mi Lo river. Local fishermen rushed out in boats in an attempt to save him. They beat drums and thrashed the water with paddles in an attempt to keep fish from eating his body. Rice dumplings were thrown in the water to try and lure the fish away.
When I finished this sketch, I walked out to the water where a dragon dance had just stopped. All of the women in pink shirts turned out to be breast cancer survivors and they were the dragon boat’s crew for the maiden voyage. I followed them out to the dock where the boat was moored and considered getting a sketch as they loaded into the boat but the moment was gone in an instant. The boat had been funded by Harriet Lake and named for her daughter and breast cancer survivor Shelly Lake and Harriet’s sister Isabel Etter. The warriors paddled the boat gently off shore and then they threw pink and red carnations into the water to commemorate people they knew who had died from breast cancer. The flowers floated gently back to the dock in the afternoon breeze. The women in the boat were known as Warriors on water (WOW). A woman sat at the each end of the boat and the woman in back shouted out a beat for the rowers to synchronize to. The sun was setting creating bright orange flashed on the water, as the warriors gracefully cruised out to the center of the lake and back. I stood on the edge of the lake for the longest time thinking I might get one more sketch, but I decided it would be dark before I finished. I simply etched the image in my mind and vowed to return to sketch another day.