More to Rice than Rice-A-Roni and Uncle Ben's

By Chau Nguyen

The performance included puppet theater, which used Balinese puppets such as the one shown here. Courtesy of wac.ucla.edu

"Rice-A-Roni, the San Francisco treat! A break from potatoes!" exclaims Dan Kwong as he mimics the catchy saying, but ironically for most people, potatoes are the break from rice. Over half of the world consumes this grain on a daily basis, but short of having it for lunch or dinner, not many of us pay attention to its importance. But all that changed as 11 performers from six different countries came together in the "Art of Rice Traveling Theater" on September 27 and 28 at the Aratani/Japan America Theatre to pay tribute to this popular, but often neglected food item.

Peng Jingquan incorporates elements of traditional Chinese opera in his performance. Courtesy of wac.ucla.edu

Stemming from the Asia Pacific Performance Exchange (APPEX), "Art of Rice" was a multicultural collaboration created during two workshops held in Bali, Indonesia. The artists wanted to create a show that would cut across cultural lines while providing a reflection of our globalized world. They decided to draw their inspiration from rice since it is a common connection between Asian countries.

The show was divided into 13 acts that incorporated different styles from the modern/postmodern dance of Cheng-Chieh Yu and Roko Kawai to the Indian Kathakali dance of Etumanoor Kannan Parameswaran and the Chinese opera of Pingquan Peng. These, in combination with the sounds of Kenny Endo's taiko drums, I Dewa Petu Berata's gamelan instruments, and Kyaw Kyaw Naing's drum-circle created an avant-garde performance full of cultural flavors.

Ettumanoor Kannan Parameswaran performs traditional Indian Kathakali dance. Courtesy of wac.ucla.edu

The performance showed that rice was not only a facilitator, but a source of cultural traditions as seen in "Maintaining Harmony" and "Nature," where mythical fables inspired by rice were acted out from Rice Goddess Dewi Sri and the pig-headed demon Bawi Srenggi. Even the labor of producing rice is celebrated as performers mimicked the movements of planting and threshing rice in "Fieldwork" and "Cycle of Rice."

The performance of the "Art of Rice" in Indonesia. Courtesy of wac.ucla.edu

Given that this was a rice-inspired performance, there was of course the obligatory comedic jab made at Uncle Ben's and Rice-A-Roni. Humor was incorporated as I Made Sidia used Balinese puppets to parody capitalistic corporations trying to buy the land of rice farmer Dan Kwong. But beneath the laughs, it was hard to ignore the underlying social message and the daunting reality of these parodies.

Kenny Endo plays the taiko drums. Courtesy of wac.ucla.edu

But the show wasn't all about fun and entertainment as seen in "The Green Revolution" and "Encounter" where two rice farmers from different parts of the world shared their woes about farming. Although scientific advances have allowed increased rice production, farmers continue to struggle, living a meager existence. These two acts served as powerful reminders of our highly urbanized and processed world.

Far from being just a theatrical performance, "Art of Rice" is proof that people from different histories, cultures, and customs can exist together in harmony. Nowhere is this more evident than in "Common Ground" where each performer came out carrying his own rice mat and speaking his own language, but walking offstage hand-in-hand with another member, leaving the rice mats behind in one pile.

The "Art of Rice" will make its last stop at UCLA with a free performance at the Fowler Museum Amphitheater on Friday, October 3 at noon. For more information, please visit their website. Come see the show and you'll never look at a bowl of rice the same way, let alone that Rice-A-Roni stuff!

October 2, 2003