"Otodama" by Aaron Riccio

If taken as a work-in-progress, Otodama is quite impressive, with a unique Eastern style and flair—a celebration of new and old­—that gives COBU a wide margin for error. After all, who isn’t a sucker for bow-legged, lightning feet and the whirligig speed of limber arms, all in unison?


As a veteran of STOMP, Yako Miyamoto is no stranger to rhythmic theater (that vibratory blitzkrieg of sound and style, that musical modernity). Nor is she unfamiliar with the Japanese Taiko drum, nor any of the other components in her work. However, Otodama (a combination of dance and drum) might be a little too difficult—as impressive as it is to watch—for all the COBU (her troupe) performers to master. Miyamoto is working with what she knows best, and Hana Ogata happens to be an extremely talented performer, but the rest of this cast (very young, and most still new to COBU’s style, despite their own impressive backgrounds in Japan) is still learning. They don’t have the cohesion or camaraderie yet that makes a Blue Man Group work. If taken as a work-in-progress, Otodama is quite impressive, with a unique Eastern style and flair—a celebration of new and old­—that gives COBU a wide margin for error. After all, who isn’t a sucker for bow-legged, lightning feet and the whirligig speed of limber arms, all in unison?

The company’s motto is “Dance Like Drumming, Drum Like Dancing.” It’s a Zen phrase: an expression, in other words, of something quite obvious, but never really put that way before. After all, what is dance—especially the highly punctuated tap dance—but a form of drumming on the floor with one’s feet? And what is drumming, really, save for a stylized form of dancing across a limited surface with one’s hands? While their overall presentation still lacks a little cohesion (un-tuned instruments, broken drumsticks, missed steps: just a few of the punches COBU had to contend with on this Saturday afternoon), it’s a great concept. When the whole company really gets synchronized, all eight in some combination of dance and drum, it’s electrifying: their feet become the beat of the drum, the beat becomes a heartbeat, and the rhythm stomps its way across the floor into the soles of our feet, the legs of our chairs. Of course, at this point, some of the pieces (all choreographed, composed and directed by Yako Miyamoto) still lack individuality, so there’s often a feeling of watching a drill rather than a performance, but it’s getting there.

Otodama also has a long way to go with costume and lighting before it becomes a full-fledged “experience.” There’s a point being made with the transition between classic kimonos and modern basketball jerseys and urban low-cut baggy jeans, but I’m not getting it, and I don’t think it’s just because I can’t understand Japanese. And while the lighting is efficient, it’s clinical: there’s no verve or excitement to it. There are, of course, a few exceptions and that’s where Otodama shines (pardon the pun). For instance, “Call” begins with a sea of blue outfits, all reduced to black silhouettes, marching in parallel to the beat of a drum illuminated in the background. The absolute symmetry and synchronous movement accents the fusion between drum and dance that COBU is going for, and it’s an impressive effect. Likewise, “Thunderstorm” focuses on a sea of dancers windmilling their arms with little clap-trap noisemakers in their hands that rattle (and dance), being pushed and pulled between two Jambe drums (an African influence) in the wings. Moments like these are lucid and hyper-stylized, and then they’re gone, lost in the chaos of the next unfocused piece.

There’s a lot of play going on here, including some vocal work (“Yell”) and some interpretative, modern (even a little of that rubbery upper-body break-dancing), and jazz dance. From the African to American to the Japanese, from all across the eras: there’s a lot of cultural influence to draw upon, and Yako Miyamoto seems completely up to the task. She’s just not there yet.

CSV Flamboyan Theater: 107 Suffolk Street
Tickets: $25 (212-352-3101)
Performances (Closes 12/11): Monday-Saturday @ 8:00; Saturday/Sunday @ 3:00; Sunday @ 7:00