The Other Here

Under a Japan Society commission given to non-Japanese artists to create work inpsired by Japanese culture, the Bessie and Obie-winning Big Dance Theater traveled to Japan to begin the artistic process of creating The Other Here, a fusion of dance, music and video. The production is a modern journey through the ethereal stories of famed Japanese novelist Masuji Ibuse (1898-1993).

A beautiful projected carp leads the audience through three interweaving narratives: the lives of a master and servant in Japan’s countryside (Life at Mr. Tange’s); a lonely young man in modern-day Tokyo (The Carp); and The Million Dollar Round Table, the global gathering of life insurance salespeople. Okinawan pop music and traditional dance celebrate this rich collision of East and West, launching a surreal quest for purpose in the modern world.