Worth the weight

No matter how hard you try, you just can’t get away from it—gravity, that is. Neither could Japanese choreographer-dancer Hideo Arai. Arai uses this ever-present natural force as a base in his choreography, Gravity, set to a soundtrack by composers and on-stage percussionists Ganesh Anandan and Patrick Graham, who make up the ensemble GaPa.
“The three of us are very different,” says Arai of the collaboration that began in ’99. “We have different languages and cultures. I wanted to find our common thing, so I found gravity. Nature, plants and stones, all things connect to gravity; it’s our universal culture.”

Arai practices a Japanese technique called noguchi taisou, a physical discipline similar to gymnastics that’s inspired by movement of inanimate objects in the natural world. He is one of the few artists in the world who uses noguchi taisou in performance. If you’re intrigued by this, Arai is giving a two-hour introductory workshop open to the public, Mar. 23. At Tangente (840 Cherrier), March 21–23, 8:30 p.m., Mar. 24, 7:30 p.m., $13–15. Call 525-1500 for tickets or (450) 923-8010 for workshop information. :

—Marites Carino