Choreography for Minh Tran & Company
Featured Works
Anicca/Impermanence (2013)
"Anicca/Impermanence" explores in seven sections farewell rituals following the death of a loved one. In the Buddhist tradition, the soul wanders from death in a transitional or liminal state between death and rebirth before reincarnation.
- 7 dancers, 49 minutes
- Lighting & set design by Peter Ksander
- Projection design by Marilys Ernst
- Costumes by Sandy Hedgepeth
- Score by Heather Perkins
"Anicca/Impermanence" was presented by the Reed College Dance Department, sponsored by Ronni Lacroute, Darci and Charlie Swindells with development supported in part by Regional Arts & Culture Council.
Forgotten Memories (2007)
"Forgotten Memories" is an artistic response to Tran's visit to Cambodia with Dance Theater Workshop’s Mekong Project. While there Tran visited S-21 or Tuol Sleng (“hill of the poison tree”), an abandoned suburban Phnom Penh high school and site of a Khmer Rouge interrogation center (1975-1979). Over 17,000 prisoners were interrogated, tortured, and executed inside the walls of S-21.
- 5 dancers, 55 minutes
- Lighting design by Malina Rodriguez
- Visual Design by Christine Bourdette
- Film by Ryan Jeffrey
- Commissioned score by Dariush Dolat-shahi
The developement of "Forgotten Memories" was made possible with support from the Oregon Arts Commission, the Regional Arts & Culture Council, Geffen Mesher & Company, and McDonald Financial Group - a subsidiary of KeyBank.
Nocturnal Path (2003)
Draws from the spiritual world of Southeast Asia, and is based on images of archaeological reliefs and mural paintings from temples throughout the region.
- 6 dancers, 45 minutes
- Lighting design by Bruce Keller
- Lamps designed by Lam Quang
- Music by Michael Stearns, Lou Harrison, Dead Can Dance, Thich Nhat Hanh, Yungchen Lhamo, Philip Glass
Nocturnal Path was commissioned by the White Bird/Tiffany & Co. New Works fund, and made possible by the Doris Duke Fund for Dance of the National Dance Project, a program administered by the New England Foundation for the Arts with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and Altria Group, Inc. Additional support provided by a Regional Artas & Culture Council Project Grant, Vessel, inc., and Portland Taiko's Community Performance Outreach Project.
Ancestor (2000)
A tribute to the grandfathers that we only know through stories and family portraits.
- Solo, 8 minutes
- Choreographed in collaboration with Eko Supriyanto
- Music by Ensemble Alcatraz, Georges Ligety, Sulawesi
Ancestor was developed as the result of an ongoing dialogue and creative exchange as part of the Asian and Pacific Performance Exchange (APPEX) Conference at UCLA over the summers 1997-2000. Additional support provided by the Regional Arts & CUlture Council.
The War Within (1996)
"The Road Home" is an autobiographical dance journal of Tran's first return trip to Vietnam in 1994. This particular section recalls memories and experiences in South Vietnam under the communist regime from 1975-1980 and his escape to Thailand.
- Duet, 14 minutes
- Lighting design by Bruce Keller
- Text by Minh Tran
- Commissioned score by Dale Svart & Paul Smailes
"The Road Home" was originally presented by Portland State University's Portland International Performance Festival with additional support provided by the Regional Arts & Culture Council.