By Megan Hardy
Arizona Daily Wildcat
February 26, 1998

'Miasma': Seeing the Body Eclectic

Webster's Dictionary defines the word miasma as "a vapor rising, as from marshes or decomposing animal or vegetable matter, formerly supposed to poison and infect the air causing malaria," or, alternately, "an unwholesome or befogging atmosphere."

Does "noxious vapor" evoke a sense of theatrical performance, or a solo concert? In this case, that's exactly what "Miasma" is.

Beginning tonight, performance artist Jon McNamara is presenting "Miasma: A Journey Through the Landscape of my Body," at the Pima Community College Center for the Arts Proscenium Theatre.

According to McNamara, "Miasma" asks the questions, "How much of life do we avoid due to prejudices and worn out constructs and fears of owning the excrement along with the roses? Without bad odors would we value the smell of a rose? What happens when the human spirit feels limited by virtue of being manifest in matter? What results when worlds collide?"

These questions are answered and explored by McNamara, through an evening-long multi-disciplinary dance performance. It is an experience of the body where freedom comes in direct contact with limitation. It is all inclusive: excrement and roses.

An interplay of opposites, "Miasma" originated with and elaborates on McNamara's earlier "Man at 37 Degrees," a work in progress which was presented in April with the Zenith showcase.

"This piece explored my experience of feeling trapped by the constraints of my life as a working class male in contemporary American culture," said McNamara of "Man."

"On a more expansive scale it explored the struggle between my artistic and working selves and beyond that, the nature of form and formlessness, order and chaos, flesh and spirit," he added.

McNamara, along with a cast of other community artists, performs a show centered around improvisational dance. McNamara plays with gender identification, using his experience of growing up in a blue-collar family to play off of.

The audience will be able to observe the Proscenium space being used in unconventional ways. The visual landscape of "Miasma" utilizes the dancers' bodies and incorporates original brushed steel kinetic sculptures that serve as musical instruments. The steel sculptures are part of the scenery that provides a contrast to the ephemeral nature of the flesh of the body.

As with McNamara's previous performances, "Miasma" is largely influenced by Butoh dance, which originated in Japan in the 1960s and rejected both traditional Japanese and Western modern dance, as well as by the ideas of Antonin Artaud. It melds a combination of live music, involving power tools and other nontraditional instruments, and an original recorded score. McNamara's work blurs the line between dance and performance art, although he categorizes the performance as dance because of the heavy influence of the body.

McNamara has included a cast of about 15, from various walks of life. For many of them, this is a first experience in the world of dance and theater. These performers were hired regardless of their body type or physical characteristics, and McNamara works with them to allow the dance to suit each individual body.

There has been quite a bit of hype surrounding "Miasma." McNamara is pleased with the enthusiasm, and commented, "Each of the three nights holds a tight structure, and the imagery remains constant, although each night will be an experience in and of itself."

"Miasma" will be performed Feb. 26-28 at 8 p.m., at the PCC Proscenium Theatre, 2202 W. Anklam Road. Tickets, which range from $5-$15, will be available at the door only.