White Dance (2011)

Revived as part of the Retrospective Project, White Dance is the first piece that Eiko & Koma performed in America.

In May 1976, Eiko & Koma performed White Dance, subtitled Moth, for their U.S. debut at the Japan Society and in subsequent performances. The choreography included much floor work as the result of Eiko’s ankle injury in the previous year. An excerpt of the poem “Moth” by Mitsuharu Kaneko was printed on the program notes, and medieval Japanese moth designs were projected on the background. The piece was set to medieval European music and Bach. This video is an excerpt of their performance at the Walker Art Center in 1981. The original stage work lasted approximately 50 minutes.

The video available is a 12 minute excerpt of the full revived performance.