East meets West and the two make beautiful music together in the dance production Tyler, Tyler. In 2003, New York choreographer and modern dancer Yasuko Yokoshi went to Japan for personal reasons. Once she was there, she decided to learn traditional Japanese dance, studying with Masumi Seyama, a 79-year-old master teacher. The two women have since collaborated, combining the modern dance with traditional Japanese dance Kabuki Su-odori, or “naked dance.” Set to folk music by Steven Reker, Tyler, Tyler includes dances from a 12th-century epic called The Tale of the Heike, as well as modern choreography. As Yokoshi once told The New York Times, “One doesn’t take over the other. That’s why it’s called Tyler, Tyler. It’s the exact same thing, like a mirror.” The small cast features both American modern dancers and traditional Japanese performers. 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday. DiverseWorks, 1117 East Freeway. For information, call 713-223-8346 or visit www.diverseworks.org. $20.
Oct. 14-16, 7:30 p.m., 2010
This article appears in Oct 14-20, 2010.