Of demons and widgets

Veteran choreographer Jitti Chompee is back home after trips to TPAM – that’s the Tokyo Performing Arts Market – and Tanz Platform Deutschland, with support from, respectively, the Japan Foundation and the Goethe Institut. His company – named after its most popular show – the 18 Monkeys Dance Theatre has already been booked for performances in South America next year. Now, he’s realising staging a dance theatre adaptation of “Death in Venice”.
“I watched the Hamburg Ballet perform John Neumeier’s ‘Death in Venice’ a few years ago and it’s perfect,” he enthuses.
“I can still recall a scene in which it looked like his dancers were playing volleyball on the beach. Of course, his style is very different from mine – his choreography is strictly based on classical ballet.”
Wanting to know more about this story, Jitti then watched the film by Luchino Visconti.
“It’s very different from the ballet and it revealed the level of artistic freedom when artists in different fields adapt this story. I haven’t had a chance to watch Benjamin Britten’s opera though. I read the synopsis of the novel but not the novel itself.
“I’m also interested in the story’s homosexual element and how I can make sure that the audience understands this is an adaptation. I’m not using the original title, as you may have already noticed.”
Given the subject matter of his previous work “A Love Song”, Jitti says that homosexual love is what he’s really interested in at the moment, and doesn’t mind if his audiences think that it’s become his “signature”.
“Doing what you’re really passionate about at the moment is better than simply following the current trend. In five years time, I may not be interested in it anymore.”
Another “signature” in Jitti’s recent works is the inclusion of classical Thai dance, thanks to the presence of khon dancer Anucha Sumaman, who’ll portray Aschenbach in “Demon in Venice”.
“I really enjoy working with him partly because I never have to worry about his technical skills. The big challenge for me and for him is how to make him become the main character I saw in the film. It’s fun for him because he gets to perform a role that’s different from those in khon. Our National Theatre differs greatly from those of other countries in that it limits its repertoire of works to those created centuries ago.”
Jitti is also realising another long-time dream–staging dance in a swimming pool, without water, with members of the audience surrounding the performance area on four sides. Here he gets help from French architects Camille Lacadee and Francois Roche, who enjoyed “A Love Song”, came to watch “Demon” rehearsals and started collaborating.
“They’ve created installation art works out of black sand bags covering the pool so it doesn’t look like a swimming pool anymore. It’s totally dark, and that’s a challenge for our lighting designer Jirach Eaimsa-ard. Come into the space, all you can see is the sky – it’ll be full moon during our run too.”
Meanwhile, Japan’s globetrotting experimental performance company faifai will stage “Shibahama”, a work that’s already been seen in Tokyo, Osaka, Berlin and Budapest. They’re setting free a well-known traditional Japanese story of the same title that shows human weaknesses and attempting to relate it to local audiences. The multi-disciplinary performance will make use of iPhones, Wii remotes, sound bites, robotic dance, electronic toys, LEDs and many other gadgets. In addition to audience participation in the game show scene, there will also be a local guest performer every night.
In 2010, with support from Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space and its artistic director Hideki Noda, faifai collaborated with Thailand’s B-Floor Theatre in “Anywhere Door” – staged in Tokyo and beamed live via internet to Bangkok. But we’ve never seen the full company live in flesh here – until now.
     DON’T MISS
- “Shibahama” runs from tonight until Thursday at Sonic on Soi Ekamai. The show time is 8.30. Admission is free. Visit FaiFaiJapan.blogspot.com for more information.
- “Demon in Venice” runs from Thursday to Sunday at The Pool @ 142 Sukhumvit 20. The show time is 7pm. Tickets are Bt500. Call (081) 814 3304. The Friday and Saturday shows are already sold out. For more details, visit www.18MonkeysDanceTheatre.com.