NEW YORK, January 11 – Jeremy Wade performed a mixed dance piece that incorporated interpretive dance and manga artwork called There Is No End to More. The performance was commissioned and performed at the Japan Society.
In his one man show, Wade’s performance playfully straddled the line between cute and horrifying. He focused thematically on the excesses of commercialism and pop culture in modern life. He included many references to Japanese pop culture including robots, ninja, large soul stealing moe eyes, Super Sentai teams, and Tokusatsu.
Wade especially emphasized the Japanese commercial concept called "kawaii". Kawaii is a label used to describe a commercial product that exudes an irresistible cuteness. It has been used to market and promote everything from toys to airlines.
In addition, Wade's performance was integrated with manga style artwork by Hiroki Otsuka. Otsuka, a veteran mangaka, provided the backgrounds for the dance. His works were projected on the back wall of the stage in stark black and white, and Wade danced in front of them. Some of the Otsuka's works were still images, and others were animated clips such as scenes incorporating rain and snow. His work was pretty amazing. Otsuka managed to create very imaginative environments for Wade to explore. His artwork was definitely one of the highlights of the show.
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