Naoko Maeshiba/Kibism Presents PARAFFIN Dance Theater Piece 6/4-14 In Baltimore

Returning with her third production at Theatre Project, Naoko Maeshiba/Kibism will present Paraffin, an evocative dance theatre piece that investigates the subliminal forces of formulas that affect our identity. Opening Thursday June 4 at 8pm. The show runs June 4 - 14, Thursday - Saturday at 8pm and Sunday's at 3pm.

Inspired by Kobo Abe's The Woman in the Dunes, the piece explores man's eternally unfulfilled thirst for illusion. Illuminating our fear and yearning for the hidden and the obscured, Paraffin interweaves multiple stories of love, temptation, and struggle to reveal and discover identity. In the sensual and fiery landscape, body reveals ‘unspeakables' and ‘invisibles', shedding light on the deep and dark places of our souls. Paraffin is a synthesis of movements, sound, text, projection, and objects, bringing spare elegance and rich texture on stage.

Paraffin is also the material used for now-antique Japanese book cover Maeshiba has strong memory about. The texture and sound of the paraffin paper always reminded her of the wings of an insect and transported her to the distant past. The fragile, muted, and resilient nature of this material that enveloped various worlds of literature always evoked a sense of forbidden secret that allured her. Paraffin, cloudy and obscure at the same time easily melts. When exposed to the heat of light, it is transparent, giving the opportunity to reveal what was once hidden behind. In this condition, we will glimpse the thin veil of illusion that covers our innermost selves.

Capturing arresting moments in life, Maeshiba and The Ensemble extract subtle beauty and vibrant festivity from the seemingly insignificant and the lost. Paraffin, an allegory about our precarious state of being, takes you through an exquisite and hypnotic landscape charged with intense physicality.

Paraffin's World Premiere, is Thursday, June 4th at 8pm. The production Friday, June 5th will be a part of the Theatre Communication's Group National Conference offerings, giving delegates an opportunity to have dinner after the day events and enjoy the production with an 8pm curtain. For more information on the Conference, visit www.tcg.org.