A notebook represents the individuals’ attempts to record and document experiences that are otherwise relegated to the unpredictable realm of memory. As records of personal history, these pages are filled with pain, loss, love and hope. Without the entries, they are a piece of blank paper waiting for a meaning.

With the premiere at the 7th Next Dance Festival in Tokyo on March 2, 2003, the two companies highlighted their strengths; a theatrical dance viewpoint and a distillation of the intense Tokyo pop culture scene. The premiere was a one-hour visual feast that “brought hope for the future” (audience member). Using a diary or journal as a departure point, the artists of No-to presented a seamless evening of theatre. Never telling the audience what to think only inviting their interpretation, the two companies created a chapter based abstract narrative that presented imagery both shocking and beautiful.

With the US premiere in Pittsburgh in September 03, the two companies will present a unique evening of theater and dance. In the first act Attack Theatre and Nibroll will introduce audiences to their individual aesthetics and then the two companies will present the US premiere of No-to: memory fades. Using a creative collaborative structure each company contributes dancers, technicians and choreography for a visually charged evening of humanity, passion and intensity.

Both groups have performed internationally, been recognized as emerging professional groups and received critical respect in their art forms. Having received this level of acclaim in their own countries the cultural exchange represented in the project No-to: memory fades is a logical next step for the advance of these two performance groups, and the strengthening of US/Japan cultural ties.

Nibroll is a multi-media art collective formed in 1997 by Mikuni Yanaihara, a choreographer with a background in various dance forms and a degree in physical education from Osaka University. In 1998, Yanaihara took part as an Artist in Residence at Akiyosidai International Art Village, studied with Ralph Lemon and was highly valued by photographer Nan Goldin. Nibroll has directors in various fields: scenic, movement, music, video and costuming… and create performances that are not confined to dance. It is a concert, a play, a movie or art exhibition. Each director contributes a unique vision to the finished product all without a centralized director. Nibroll has performed in Tokyo, San Francisco, Portland, Avignon and New York City in 2002 in a showcase for the Japan Society of New York.

Sept 19– 28
Pittsburgh, PA

Dates & Locations:
The restored Charity Randall Theatre in the Stephen Foster Memorial at the University of Pittsburgh, Oakland.
Friday, September 19 & Saturday, September 20 at 8 p.m.
Sunday, September 21 at 2 p.m.
Friday, September 26 & Saturday, September 27 at 8 p.m.
Sunday, September 28 at 2 p.m.

Tickets:
$20.00 for general admission, $10.00 for students.
20% discount for groups of ten or more

Box Office:
http://www.pitt.edu/~play
or call 412-624-PLAY (7529)

For more information:
Attack Theatre - Gina Desko @ 412-371-1624

Sept 30 – Oct 1
Indiana, PA

Weis Center
Bucknell University