Review by Stephen Best
Read full review on Times Square Chronicles
Triumphing over racial barriers and shattering through glass ceilings, Saturday night saw the world premiere tribute of a true pioneering spirit in the world of dance. The third in the “Made in Chicago” Dance Series, Thodos Dance Chicago debuted Sono’s Journey, the chronological story of legendary Japanese-American dancer, Sono Osato. This celebration of movement traced Osato’s path from a chance audition on Chicago’s own Auditorium Theatre stage at the tender age of 14 in 1934, to the Ballets Russe de Monte-Carlo through her position today, at the age of 96, as one of the most inspirational, barrier-breaking artists in the history of American dance. From ballet to Broadway, Osato’s life story, a woman being of both Japanese & American ancestry, read like the most fascinating tale of history, simultaneously beautiful and tragic. While her career flourished, dancing with the Ballet Theatre, performing in Sleeping Beauty, Pillar of Fire and The Beloved as well as appearing on Broadway in One Touch of Venus and On The Town, her personal life was torn astray as her father was forced into an interment camp on Chicago’s south side during World War II. After Pearl Harbor was attacked, many like Osato had her international travel performance Visa suddenly and unceremoniously revoked. Overcoming prejudice and professional limitations through the artistry of dance, particularly because of her Japanese heritage, became Osato’s remarkable legacy.
Created and choreographed by Thodos Dance Chicago founder and artistic director Melissa Thodos, Sono’s Journey featured 3 principle dancers, Abby Ellison, Jessica Miller Tomlinson and Shelby Moran, each representing Osato at various stages of her life. Adored in vibrant red costuming crafted by Nathan Rohrer, each woman was supported by a capable ensemble of dancers, all clad in grey. Scored with almost a dozen pieces of classical music, we began the journey with Osato in her earliest days of dance classes, where it was clear she had something special. Layered over the individual performances, three movie screens projected images aiding in the creation of unique environments, while voice over narration by Ellen Karas explained the intricate and intimate timeline of her life. She shared the fact her mother often smoked in public, very daring in those days. Her parents great love for one another transcended an obvious language barrier, as well as a disapproving society. Not to be deterred, Osato’s mother fed her early passion for dance. The WWII choreography was the most visually stunning of the piece, mimicking the slow motion marches to war by the troops. The familial division, told artistically, utilized a series of panels & screens on the stage. The dancers would emerge and then disappear in an instant behind them. Images of an inventively fashioned battlefield, the wounded intermixed with the survivors, was most profound to watch. Nathan Tomlinson set and lighting design added an extra dramatic component which made these sequences breathtaking to behold.
The final segment of this impressive first act chronicled romance and inclusion as Osato’s traveled to New York for both love and work. The international dancer and actress first married then found success dancing on Broadway. She happily discovered a celebration of inclusiveness in the arts of New York City that the rest of the world didn’t embrace. Cast in On The Town, she marveled at the fact a Japanese-American could represent the pinnacle of American Beauty, playing the character at the center of the show’s story. I marveled at the fact history seems to be repeating itself once again. On the Town has a long account of progressive, diverse casting amongst its ranks. Last year, the character Ivy Smith, was once again daringly cast, this time with Misty Copeland, the first African American principal dancer of the American Ballet Theatre. What time honored slippers Copeland stepped into. The first act concluded with a proclamation read from Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel who declared January 9, 2016 , Sono Osato Day in Chicago and “encourage all Chicagoans to honor the legacy and enduring work of Sono Osato in the world of dance.” A classy ending to honor a sophisticated lady. The standing ovation for Osato was as impressive as the bouquet of flowers bestowed on the woman who’s life had been so marvelously & lovingly chronicled.
Act two was a more traditional Thodos Dance Chicago performance, split into three separate contemporary pieces of dance. The first, Near Light, choreographed by Melissa Thodos, featured ten dancers in grey costumes designed by Nathan Rohrer. Their collective movements delicate, lyrical, poetic, and exquisite. If this initial piece was to sooth, the second, Memoirs, choreographed by Garfield Lemonius was to entice. Fiery, ferocious, a fury of passion riddled movement. The fluttering of the bold, red costumes featuring full cape style skirts on both the male and female dancers, astounded. Ornate, syncopated, brazen arm movements, and full, thrusting leg extensions with powerful high kicks, impressed. A dazzling array of a dozen dancers. The final piece, All You Need, had been staged before, but it was such a rousing crowd favorite, they did it again. Utilizing a familiar soundtrack including the “Charleston” and the “Can Can,” choreographer Taylor Mitchell created a world of whimsy, as the flutter of red paper hearts were tossed expressively, humorously and repetitively across the stage. Bodies were then used as makeshift brooms, while the eight dancers, all dressed in black and white striped tops and black pants, designed by Moriah Turner, attempted in vain to corral the ocean of paper hearts. The loudest act two audience response could be heard throughout; spontaneous and subtle giggles turned to outright side-splitting, raucous laughter with numerous rounds of applause. A winning way to end the evening.
Once again proving itself a community leader in scope and presentation, Thodos Dance Chicago’s triumphant return to the Auditorium Theatre soared. A stunning world premiere piece, Sono’s Journey, worthy of the dynamic individual with whom they were paying homage, and a trio of dynamite contemporary pieces, Thodos Dance Chicago continued to impressed. While it may be snowing and cold outside during the Windy City winter months, Thodos Dance Chicago enters into 2016, simply put, on fire.
Thodos Dance Chicago Sono’s Journey played at the Auditorium Theatre January 9, 2016