Mari Osanai leads Mile Zero Dance into a heightened awareness of body-mind movement in Oblivion

Sep 25 2019

Oblivion runs Friday, October 25 and Saturday, October 26 at 8 p.m. at Spazio Performativo (10816 – 95 St.)

Edmonton, AB — This season, Mile Zero Dance (MZD) is harnessing the power and creativity of the human body in the fight against climate change. Virtuoso Japanese dancer and choreographer, Mari Osanai, will open our Dance Crush series with her body-mind movement piece Oblivion.

Osanai’s post-butoh dance transforms space and time in a deep ritual of embodiment. She has been touring North America and performing this piece as a solo production featuring masks, doll stage art, and lighting design created with visual artist Shohei Yamashita who will be traveling to Edmonton from Japan exclusively for this show.

“Mari’s movement is fluid like water, and her effect on viewers is incredibly positive and emotional,” says Gerry Morita, Artistic Director of MZD.  “We are thrilled to have her and Shohei in Edmonton next month. Edmontonians are in for a treat.”

Osanai’s heightened awareness of gravity’s influence on the body and her deep connection with the natural world is based on her technique of Noguchi Taiso—a form of physical training that supports new ways of movement to improve efficiency while letting go of unnecessary tensions. The performance also interweaves dance styles such as ballet, modern dance, jazz, Tai Chi, and traditional folk dance.

Tickets are $20 for MZD members and $25 for non-members. For tickets, visit: https://oblivion-mari-osanai.eventbrite.ca. For more information, visit: http://milezerodance.com/2017/2019-international-dance-crush/