Sunday, September 14, 2025
For the fourth entry in the Arts for Art In Gardens series of 2025, at the Children’s Magical Garden in New York City, the official bill simply listed “Poet TBA” for the 4:00-4:30 PM slot. At 4:00, crew were only starting to set up the stage for the presentation – three microphones were set up at the rear of a stage, but then it was decided that not all of them would be needed. There were only a few audience members at this time, but both performers and audinece members gradually trickled in for things to start at 4:30. The sign outside of the park said that the 4:00 slot would be Yoshiko Chuma.
Chuma started off the performance by asking if everyone could hear her without a microphone, which people said they could. She then proceeded to slowly and deliberately move through the seating area, occasionally gesturing, pausing, or looking around, eventually raising herself up on a table, on which she jumped repeatedly.
After settling on the table, she started to talk about a “very serious business” – “don’t take it easy, now”. “You understand what I mean?” she quietly asked some audience members. After this, she danced more quickly back to the stage, while accordionist Shoko Nagai used her instrument to create wind sounds before playing short musical phrases.
Chuma danced and moved on the stage to Nagai’s accompaniment until trombonist Steve Swell joined in, at first using a mute on his trombone, which Chuma took from him and also used on his trombone, before disassembling his trombone while he continuted to play parts of it on stage. Chuma then displayed the two apparati to the audience.
At this stage in the performance, a second dancer appeared on stage – the first of several that would slowly be added to the act from seemingly out of nowhere. Chuma continued to dance through the audience.
“My name is Fadi (??). I’m from Palestine” said a man we later learned was Timothy Buckley, standing in front of a microphone, who until that moment had been sitting silently onstage. He explained that he grew up and lives in Syria, but considered his heritage to be that of his grandparents, from Palestine. “I live in a dangerous neighborhood – you go out, you don’t know if you’re gonna come back.” While speaking, Chuma mimed as if she were saying the words herself, while moving through the audience. The speaker then describes a detailed account of the build-up of war, and then fleeing the country while it is being bombed. While speaking, Chuma and the dancers continue to move through the stage and audience while the two musicians play accompaniment. “I see the police, and they’re running after me.”
The speaker the abruptly switches to speaking about the invention of the donut, the film My Dinner With Andre, the birth of IBM, the use of computers by the nazis, and other topics. By this point, including Chuma, there are four dancers moving around on and off stage.
After some time, Chuma tells the audience, “I cannot do more dance. I’m 75 years old. Patricia (Nicholson Parker) booked as a solo!” She laughed, “so I brought an orchestra, thank you so much”. She then asked the performers for “5 minutes! Whatever you want! Chaotic!”. After this, Chuma began “I was born 1950,” before explaining some background about Japan and then Palestine, thanking the Vision Festival, and introducing the band to rounds of applause. The players were Shoko Nagai and Steve Swell, the speaker Timothy Buckley, the dancers Angelina Laguna, age 24, Yang Sun, age 25, and Catherine ??, age 72.
After the performance, NYC-based baritone saxophonist and WFMU DJ Dave Sewelson described it as “refreshing and provoking. The way she directed the ensemble is wonderful to behold.”
Chuma was followed by a trio of Daniel Carter, Ayumi Ishito, and Yuko Togami, who performed until approximately 5:30.
