>>REVIEW
DANCING ON WATER
Green Fools and Glenbow Museum
Written and directed by Jennie Esdale
Runs September 15 to 18
Glenbow Museum
The Green Fools is one of those rare troupes that manages to combine art and entertainment without one overpowering the other. Dancing on Water, its co-production with the Glenbow Museum (being staged in conjunction with the Voices of Southeast Asia exhibition), is no exception. This show is simply another great work from a remarkable puppet company.
A marriage of music, artwork and mythology is apparent in this creation-based production. The show starts with an incantation of sorts in the lobby, with drums bringing the audience into the world of Dancing on Water, a show based on the ancient art of Mua Roi Nuoc – literally, "puppets that dance on water," or Vietnamese water puppetry. The stage includes a small pool, with the performers working from outside of it.
Water is the perfect element for this production, written and directed by the Fools’ Jennie Esdale, which explores a creation myth, among other things. At least two of the show’s stories involve water as a source. In one, the Greek goddess Eurynome meets the great serpent Ophion, who appears to her from the sea. In another (a Vietnamese rebirth myth), the tiny goddess Au Co is lured to Earth by a fish. Once she drinks the water, however, she is bound to Earth and can never fly again. Her tears nourish the planet until she finds love.
I enticed fellow writer James Dangerous to attend this puppet show; he is a stranger to the Green Fools, but not to Hindu mythology. He said the troupe’s renditions of Kali, Shiva and Durga on her tiger were well researched. Kali’s dance of destruction is accompanied by drums and the haunting voice of the show’s composer, singer-musician Vi An. Here, the dark goddess with the blood-red tongue wears skulls around her neck, human arms around her waist, and moves in just the way we would expect from Shiva’s wife, Parvati, in her wrathful form. Shiva enters the scene to stop her; he has blue skin, four arms and long matted hair – a recognizable depiction of this major Hindu god.
While this particular image of Kali, as well as a gigantic snake and dragon, may seem frightening, the show is suitable for audiences of all ages. The performers provide a commentary through sound, movement and instrumentation that reminds youngsters they are telling a story. Not limited by words, Dancing on Water is a show that transcends culture and language. It’s the kind of production that could be performed most places in the world, and most audiences would surely understand it. The program includes brief explanations of the mythological figures, but this information isn’t necessary to enjoy the stories.
There is one character we follow throughout the three myths – a frog that acts as the Cheu Teu character of Vietnamese water puppetry. Traditionally, the Cheu Teu is a clown who leads audiences through a show, which is usually structured to include a birth, death and rebirth. The anthropomorphic elements in the stories also weave a common thread between them. You may view Dancing on Water as three separate tales, or as one continuous allegory. Either way, it is an experience to relish. |
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