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CURRENT REPERTORY Story Ballets Orphan Train, premiered in 1997 Conceived & choreographed by Marla Hirokawa Music by Peter Sculthorpe, David Diamond, Alberto Ginastera, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Peggy Stuart Coolidge
The history: In 1849, a young seminarian named Charles Loring Brace came to New York City to preach at a prison. As he walked the streets of the city, he was profoundly moved by the conditions that met his eyes, especially the plight of the city’s impoverished children. New York was flooded with immigrants in the mid-1800’s, but jobs were scarce and many families languished in poverty. Overcrowding, pestilence, abandonment and neglect had bred a large population of children known as “street arabs.” Forced onto the streets, the children quickly became adept as ragpickers, beggars and thieves, falling ever deeper into a dank well of misery.
Filled with compassion and the love of his Redeemer, Brace left seminary and set out to rescue this lost generation. He looked for ways to alleviate their suffering but knew that the only hope lay in the development of their moral character. So, in 1853, he established the New York Children’s Aid Society and began to organize a placing out program, nicknamed the Orphan Trains. Brace believed that in order to achieve this development of character he would have to remove the children from the city and find nurturing homes for them. What better place to relocate them than the West, where these “young wayfarers and homeless rovers in the world find themselves in comfortable and kind homes, with all the boundless advantages and opportunities of the Western farmer’s life about them.”
With careful planning and arrangements to secure the children’s safety and well-being, the Orphan Trains ran from 1853 to 1929. Who would have known that a visit to New York City by one ordinary man would have affected the lives of over 100,000 children?
This ballet is a tribute to him. Prodigal’s Song, premiered in 1999 Conceived & choreographed by Marla Hirokawa Music by Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Keith Hall
The story: There once lived a famous Maestro. Under his care were two young girls, musical prodigys: a violinist and a cellist. He loved them as his own children and believed them to be destined for musical greatness. Although both girls were equally talented the Violinist was flighty and easily distracted from her music.
Time passed and the Maestro’s expectations were realized. Both of his charges grew up to be beautiful, accomplished musicians. However, one day the Violinist abandoned her Maestro and her music for a stranger’s love. This new love quickly turned bitter and she was left empty and shattered. Scrabbling amongst the swine of this life, the Violinist came to her senses and remembered the love of her Maestro.
Following the call of a distant melody, she found her way back to the Maestro. Even from a distance, he recognized her and reached to embrace her. Ashamed and humiliated, she collapsed in his arms and found forgiveness. As everyone celebrated the return of the Violinist, the Cellist became jealous and angry. But, her heart soon softened in love for her friend, and the musical duo were reconciled. “Dance and rejoice,” declares the Maestro, “for this Prodigal was dead and is alive again, she was lost and is found!” Nisei, premiered in 2001 Conceived & choreographed by Marla Hirokawa Music by Keith Hall, Taki Rentaro, Johann Pachelbel
The history: When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, a predicament arose for the Japanese population in the USA: they looked like the enemy. On Feb. 19, 1942, President Roosevelt signed executive order 9066 that relocated and incarcerated approximately 120,000 Japanese Americans. Forced to sell their homes and businesses at great losses, they were sent to Assembly Centers and then to Concentration Camps located in California, Arizona, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Arkansas, and Texas.
The Japanese Americans in Hawaii remained relatively untouched. Their large numbers and vital labor sustained the Hawaiian economy rendering it impossible for the Japanese to be incarcerated or removed from the islands. At the time of Pearl Harbor’s attack, Japanese Americans made up 50% of Hawaii’s armed forces. Authorities did not know what to do with these soldiers.
On June 5, 1942, enlisted Japanese American men from Hawaii secretly boarded the SS Maui bound for Camp McCoy, Wisconsin. On board were the 1,432 men and officers that formed the 100th Infantry Battalion, Separate -- an independent combat unit unattached to a parent regiment.
The 100th Battalion landed in Italy in September, 1943 and soon became known as the “Purple Heart Battalion,” having earned 1,703 medals. On June 11, 1944, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, made up of more Japanese American men from Hawaii and mainland U.S. concentration camps, joined the 100th Battalion soldiers in Italy.
The 100th/442nd campaigns took them through Italy, France and Germany. The 100th/442nd received 18,143 individual decorations for valor and seven Presidential unit citations, making them the most highly decorated unit for its size and duration in American military history. On August 2000, 22 Medals of Honor were added to the roster. Fool’s Gold, premiered in 2005 Conceived & choreographed by Marla Hirokawa Music by Roy Harris, Frank Martin, Jean Francaix The synopsis: Scene 1: It is the mid-1800’s. People are discovering the beautiful, but untamed land out West. The Westward migration has begun. Scene 2: As people discover their new world, they encounter an insidious enemy. She is known as the Siren and is always accompanied by her Cohorts. She thrives on the wild, lawlessness of the West. Not all, but many, are lured and trapped by her mesmerizing dance. The Siren is intrigued by a Man and a Woman she encounters. The Woman resists the Siren’s dance, but the Man is ensnared. Scene 3: Gold is discovered and the Rush begins. Everyone wants to get rich and are panning and mining for gold. Exploiting the greed that has swept over the people, the Siren and her Cohorts bring together a band of Outlaws. The Man joins them and begins a life of crime. Things escalate and while robbing a stagecoach, a child accidentally gets killed. This death stuns the Man to his senses and he breaks away from the Outlaws. In his despair and remorse, the Man is tormented by the Siren and collapses. Scene 4: A small group of School Children discover the unconscious Man. He wakes to find himself befriended by people of a small town. He meets the Woman who is the town seamstress and falls in love with her. They marry and begin a new life together. It doesn’t take long for the Siren to find the Man and confront him. The Man has a new strength and resolve to now resist the Siren. Angered, the Siren calls the Outlaws to the town. The Outlaws intend to harm the Townspeople and create bedlam. The Man defends the town and the battle culminates in a final showdown. Scene 5: The migration continues into the next generation. Law and order is finally taming the West making it difficult for the Siren to find new prey. She encounters the Woman and her Son but fails to ensnare them. The entire community joins the Woman to force the Siren out. Realizing her reign in the West is over, the Siren and her Cohorts disappear into the night. The sun rises and the Woman, her Son and the Townspeople rejoice and dance.
The Fantastic Toys, premiered in 1996 & re-choreographed in 2005 Conceived & original choreography by Marla Hirokawa Re-staging and new choreography by Brenda Neville, Mandy Chan & Rebeccah Hope BrannThe synopsis: Scene 1: Once upon a time, in a quaint little village far away, a very special Toy Shoppe was about to open for the day. This Toy Shoppe was owned by a woman skilled in making beautiful life-sized dolls. Scene 2: What made the Toy Shoppe special was its secret guest. Time to time the magical Silver Fairy would visit the Shoppe and bring the dolls to life. On this particular morning, the playful fairy visits the Shoppe and dances with her doll-friends. When she is discovered by the Owner, she is scolded and helps put the Shoppe back in order. After the Silver Fairy departs, the first customers arrive. Towns Children enter the Shoppe. They come frequently to enjoy the dolls and after greeting the Owner they beg her to make the dolls dance for them. Happily, the Owner yields to their request. She winds up the Hunter Doll, the Kewpie Doll and the Clown Doll each in their turn and they dance for the children. After the performance the Owner allows the children to get a closer look at the dolls. The children start to get boisterous. To calm them, the Owner offers the children two big lollypops and the children sit and share their treat. Scene 3: All of a sudden, two servants enter the Shoppe frantically cleaning and dusting. Soon enter the King and Queen and their attendants. The Owner greets the pompous and self-centered King and Queen who snub her and parade around the Shoppe. The attendants notice the children and try to conceal them from the King and Queen but the children are soon discovered and their lollypops confiscated and given to the royal couple. The King and Queen roam around the Shoppe. Believing the dolls to be real they get angry and demand that the dolls pay them homage. They start to violently jostle the toys when the Owner quickly intervenes and explains that they are only dolls. She begs them to sit and then winds up the Ballerina Doll, Gypsy Doll, and Sleepy Doll to dance for them. Scene 4: After the performance, the Queen declares that she wants all the dolls and the toyshop for herself. The children immediately beg the Queen not to take the dolls and end up in a tug-of-war with the royal couple. The children lose and they beg the Queen again not to take the dolls. The Queen is outraged and orders her servants and attendants to take the children hostage. The Owner is thrown out of her Shoppe. The King and Queen revel in their conquest and soon leave the room to explore the rest of the Shoppe. Scene 5: The Silver Fairy returns and finds the Shoppe in disarray. She brings the dolls to life, and when she learns what has happened she vows to help them. Pretending to be a doll, the Fairy and the dolls wait for the King and Queen. Scene 6: The Servants and Attendants enter forcing the children to learn how to be servants and attendants to the King and Queen. When the couple returns, they run recklessly around the Shoppe. The Silver Fairy is enraged and reveals herself. She and the dolls wage war against the Servants and Attendants while the King and Queen watch horrified. The Fairy and the dolls kick the royal couple and their entourage out of the Shoppe. Peace is restored. Scene 7: The Silver Fairy and the dolls rejoice. The children bring the Owner back to the Toy Shoppe and everyone celebrates. They all live happily ever after. SHORTER WORKS
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