Choreography: Ihsan Rustem - Sadler's Wells Global Dance Contest winner 2011
World Premiere October 2012, Portland Oregon USA, Northwest Dance Project
- director Sarah Slipper
Music: Scanner, David Lang, Erika Janunger
Dancers: Franco Nieto, Ching Ching Wong, Samantha Campbell, Patrick Kilbane,
Elijah Labay, Lindsey Matheis, Lindsey McGill, Andrea Parson
The starting point for what has become 'Mother Tongue' came about during conversations on the theme of cultural identity and belonging. I drew upon personal experiences after a recent trip to Istanbul, Turkey, which is my mother land, but a land I have never lived in. Standing in the middle of the chaos of Taksim Square and taking in the smells, watching the people and listening to the sounds, I felt an overwhelming sense of calm and belonging in the realisation that this is where I have come from.
Reviews:
Dance: New, Now, a 'Mother Tongue' Wow! NW Dance Project tackles a triple-header of world premieres, topped by Ihsan Rustem's gem
Oregon Arts Watch
If I thought the last piece dropped my jaw with the dance partnering intricacies, I was even more floored in watching Mother Tongue. I don't think I've ever wanted to interview a choreographer more in my life.
Sabrina Miller-
Portland Stage Reviews
Rustem's "Mother Tongue" seems a model of contemporary choreography -- a piece very much of its own time but also fiercely focused and sure of itself. It doesn't meander, it doesn't settle for the first idea. Like all good dances, it cuts through space with a conviction that this is the only possible way this particular piece could be.
Bob Hicks -
Oregon Arts Watch
"the final jaw dropping performance"
Portland Stage Reviews
The performance confirmed that NWDP seems to have discovered its soul mate in London choreographer Ihsan Rustem, who created the breathtaking piece "State of Matter,". Rustem returned last night with another winner: "Mother Tongue, that fused all aspects of the production into a thrilling, seamless, almost dystopian Fosse performance that drew at least one uncontainable 'Whoa!' from the audience at its finale.
Aaron Scott -
Portland Monthly Magazine