Deshima

1990–1996
Theater, Dance

About the Production

Deshima is a prismatic exploration of East-West contact from the arrival of Dutch traders in Japan in the 16th Century to the height of the Japanese “bubble” economy in the late 1980’s. Deshima is composed of a series of intersecting aural, visual and choreographic events inspired by historical incidents and archival documents in the often bloody legacy of contact between Europe, America, Japan and Asia. Deshima included spoken and projected text, European, Asian, American and contemporary dance, recorded sound and projections. Deshima marked a major departure for Ping Chong from allegory to poetic documentary.

Deshima was commissioned as part of the celebration marking the 100th anniversary of the death of painter Vincent Van Gogh. The audience entered an enclosed container with three rows of seats. The container then moved on air into position in front of the first set installation which was reminiscent of a Colonial era ballroom. Two-thirds of the way through the performance, the audience seating units moved again to reveal the second set installation, a recreation of Van Gogh’s painting Wheatfield with Crows. The moving container system was used for the premiere in Utrecht and the production at the City of Culture Festival in Glasgow both in 1990. The 1993 La MaMa production was reimagined for a proscenium stage as were all subsequent performances.

Deshima is the first work in Ping Chong’s East/West Quartet.

Production Team And Cast

SPRINGDANCE FESTIVAL, APRIL 1990:

Conceived and Directed by

Ping Chong

Written by

Ping Chong and Michael Matthews

Producer

The Mickery Workshop

Dramaturgy

Jan Zoet

Dramaturgy Assistant

Christel Gouweleeuw

Lighting Design

Johan Vonk

Sound Design

Robert Bosch

Projection and Video

Chiel Snijders

Production Manager

Guus van der Kraan

Set and Prop Design

Ruud van der Akker, Ed Bezem, Robert Bosch, Klaas Paradies, Henry Verboket, Richard Berlin Mayer

Costume Design

Adreienne Henriet, with Christel Gouweleeuw, Coby Bruijne

Cast

Kristin de Groot, Arnaud Kokosky Deforchaux, Josepha Dumatubun, Nita Liern, Jur Londt-Schultz, Michael Matthews and Rop Severian

LA MAMA E.T.C., JANAURY 1993:

Conceived and Directed by

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Written by

Ping Chong and Michael Matthews

Choreography

Deena Burton and Ping Chong

Lighting Design

Thomas Hase

Sound Design

Robert Bosch and Brian Hallas

Set Design

Watuko Ueno and Ping Chong

Costume Design

Carol Ann Pelletier

Projection Design

Jan Hartley and Ping Chong

Stage Manager

Virlana Tkacx

Cast

Deena Burton, Barbara Chan, Ching Gonzalez, Brian Liem, Larry Malvern, Michael Matthews, Emerald Trinket Monsod, Dawn Saito, Perry Yung, Margaret Hoyt (Voiceover)

Performance History

SPRINGDANCE FESTIVAL, APRIL 1990

Premiere

Springdance Festival at the Sterrenbos Studio, Utrecht, Holland (April 1990)

Tours

European Cultural Capital Festival at The Tramway, Glasgow, Scotland (June 1990)

LA MAMA E.T.C., JANUARY 1993

Workshop

Illusion Theater, Minneapolis, MN (November 1992)

Premiere

La MaMa E.T.C., New York, NY (January 1993)

Tours

John Jay College Theatre, New York, NY (December 1993)

Weis Center, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA (March 1995)

The Tokyo International Festival of the Performing Arts, Tokyo, Japan (October 1995)

The Nagoya Festival, Nagoya, Japan (October 1995)

The Nagasaki Public Theatre, Nagasaki, Japan (October 1995)

The Lied Center of the University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS (April 1996)

The Singapore Festival of the Arts, Victoria Theatre, Singapore (June 1996)

Partners

La MaMa E.T.C.

The Mickery