Martha Graham Dance Co is coming to Berlin this July 4-13.
I will be there of course. I was sondering this is summer season for German people. I hope a lot of people will come to see us…

Miki Orihara

The BEST place I have ever performed is at Les Salorges in Noirmoutier, France. It’s quite small, but it has a very homey feel. The stage at Salorges made it feel like I was dancing in the most cozy living room on the planet. The theatre was built in the 1600’s by sailors that were traveling the globe trading sea salt ( the main export of Noirmoutier). In those days, the weight of the ship had to be distributed evenly after delivery - so stones were used at every location to make up the difference. The ceiling was the most interesting part - since the theatre was built by sailors, they were sort of clueless on how to build a roof so the ceiling is made like the hull of a ship (pictures soon). The salt from the 400(+) year-old stones makes the walls glisten, and I remember running my finger down the wall and watching the salt fall to the ground…writing about it makes me recall the faint smell of salt and sage, which was used to calm the atmosphere. I can’t wait to return next year.

The absolute WORST place I have ever performed. I won’t say the name because it was a nightmare, but it’s in North West Florida (lower Alabama). Nutcracker 2002 (for the fiftieth time) it was the first time I saw this theatre - and definitely my last! The building and marquis looked great from outside and even in the house (unless one sat in the dilapidated balcony) with nice trim, an antique chandelier and some even OLDER stage curtains. I was greeted by the blunt smell of mildew, dust, and God only knows what else. Backstage had quite an eerie look as I stepped on what seemed like a particle-wood floor (we brought our own Marley of course) - a jet black door with a semi-burned sign that says “ACT BACK HERE” - it used to read “ACTORS PLEASE WALK BACK HERE” which is still an awkward substitution for “Backstage” or something shorter.

The walls back stage were that strange, pale, hospital-green that had been chipped away to reveal ancient wall-paper and even deeper in the surface you could see the wall was originally black. The hallway was long and narrow with very low ceilings, ventilation pipes, and dangling 40-watt(?) bulbs to lead the way to the 5th level of Hell. The dressing rooms were like prison cells!!!! The mirrors were antiqued, so one would be lucky to see the entirety of their own reflection, accompanied by sconces that were hanging on for dear life - the METAL toilets were in a corner with no door, no lid/seat and a button-flush on the back; I’m not certain the rats would even use those toilets. Thank GOODNESS I’m a guy! I swore that I would never perform under those conditions again and I haven’t since. I had a knot on my head for almost a month from hitting my head on the joint of a wrought-iron pipes in the hallway! Au revoir!!

Great idea for a post!