P-form, The Magazine of Performance Art

UMO Ensemble: Caravan of Dreams
June 2-11, 1994; Seattle, WA

Onto a darkened stage meanders a humble cart that seems propelled by the sheer energy of rhythmic chanting. The cart is alive with a riot of fabric animated by writhing limbs and comes to a halt in a pool of light. Five gaudy vagabonds tumble to the ground and proclaim that a true traveler has no fixed plan. And so begins Caravan of Dreams in which UMO Ensemble combines acrobatics and all manner of music with more traditional storytelling modes to relate the tale of just such a person who roamed the worldsearching for something that he could not define although he did know that he was lost if he did not find it. At the outset, one of the itinerants (Esther Edelman) interrupts her routine of mesmerizing contortions and clowning to say, "Between life and dreaming is a third way. Guess it!" Then, with a sly smile, she leaves us to ponder our own answers.

Soon another vagabond (Janet McAlpin) appears to demand that we close our eyes and not see, clap our hands over our ears and not hear, hold our breaths and not smell. When we have followed her instructions, she spins around and announces, "Now you know what I know" before she waltzes back into the darkness.

Throughout Caravan of Dreams, as in this routine, the balance between acrobatic clowning and philosophical puzzlers posed for the audience is adroit and light as a feather. Verve, high energy and spontaneity draw us so deeply into the performance of this antic group of vagabonds that only gradually does it become clear that we are hearing the story of Siddhartha Gautama's journey to becoming the Buddha.

In developing Caravan of Dreams, director Martha Enson and the UMO troupe created the vagabond entertainers as myttuc tale bearers. Enson calls these vagabonds Djools, a combined form of the mischievous Arabic spirit Djinn and the archetypal Fool. As sacred clowns, the Djools are on their own spiritual path at the same time that they are bearing stories from the life of Siddhartha. Above all else, they are street entertainers who know how to hold their audience's attention.

The Djools literally stand on their heads to embody tales that culminate in such maxims as "No one could teach you what you learned" and "One cannot have pleasure without giving it." Without a single self-conscious move, they cover the steps that mark Siddhartha's journey to enlightenment in what can be seen as a fabulous circus of the body, mind and spirit.

The Djools are outfitted in costumes by Patricia Toovey and Julie James that are eye-popping fantasies of the medieval and oriental, yet leave all five performers free for any athletic feat imaginable. Both men and women exult in their bodies, in its power as well as its sensuality as women lift men just as easily as the reverse and men celebrate their own distinctive brand of allure.

In one section dealing with desire, the Djools revolve in unison in five low flying trapezes. They may be physically separate, but they are also linked by the rhythms of music, the luxurious movement they experience together and the languorous heat they generate. Here in one luminous image is the holiness of the body wedded to the yearning for spiritual transcendence without any sign of a fracture between body and spirit. Although keeping on the path of the spirit may be the goal, the Djools let us know that at every step on that path all the senses are honored.

Contributing immeasurably to the haunting and exhilarating mood of the piece was music performed by Ela Lamblin on instruments of his own invention. Lamblin played what looked like support wires of a huge church censer as if he were holding a cello and then moved on to a modest plastic milk bottle with a series of reeds poking through it to create a musical interlude that was anything but homemade. No matter what he picked up in his path, he made it produce sound with the same sense of startling beauty emerging from unlikely places and objects that radiates from all of Caravan of Dreams.

Among so many memorable stories, one that dealt with a man who kept a bird captive in a cage particularly stood out for me. As the story goes, when the bird refused to sing one day, the man hauled it out of his house and left it on the road to die. And so, in a fit of pique, the man threw away his bird and its lovely song in one fell swoop. Through the hypnotic repetition worthy of Gertrude Stein, the Djools reweave the detalls of this story into one about a man who possessed a beautiful song but forgot it by not singing it. In this variation, the man is seen to have thrown himself away when he neglected to sing his own song.

In this vivid tale, UMO Ensemble has condensed all the energy that fuels the universal exhortation to each and every one of us to find our own path and follow it with all our energy. If the storytellers who originally spread the story of the Buddha had the same virtuosity, sensuality and strength of Esther Edelman, Martha Enson, David Godsey, Kevin Joyce and Janet McAlpin, it is no wonder that these tales have come down to us in all their beauty and power.

- John McFarland

Circus "Caravan" dances in Strider Theater

BY PAUL FONTANA

Contributing Writer

At precisely 8:04 p.m., the lights in Strider Theater slowly faded to a blackout and six shadows of movement crept onto the stage. This was the only dim and quiet moment in last Thursday’s performance of “Caravan of Dreams.” The Seattle based Unidentified Moving Objects Ensemble was formed in 1987 by five of the six current members. “Caravan of Dreams” was created, directed and performed by the group. It is one of five productions in their repertoire. This year’s show was their second appearance on campus.  The ensemble consisted of performers Esther Edelman, David Godsey, Kevin Joyce, Janet McAlpin and Martha Enson. Enson was also the show’s director.  Ela Lambin provided the sounds which underscored and animated the entire performance. Lambin also constructed his own unique instruments, one of which was made from an old exercise bicycle.

Inspired by Herman Hesse’s epic novel “Siddhartha,” “Caravan of Dreams” was a visual feast of highly stylized movement. From the first burst of fire which began the play until the curtain call, the UMO cast remained focused and concentrated on every action they performed.

Director/performer Martha Enson described the show as a “story of the human struggle to find spiritual peace.”

Rather than convey this message through the common medium of dialogue, the UMO ensemble expressed themselves through movement and sound. Occasionally a character would come forth and deliver a snippet of Eastern wisdom while the others listened intently. This was sufficient to convey the desired theme.  Additional text would have only detracted from the visual circus being presented.

The performance began with the actors’ emerging from rope swings suspended from Strider’s recently installed fly system. These five black swings were the only pieces of scenery on the otherwise bare stage which left ample room for the performers’ relentless movement.

Immediately upon the lights being brought up, vibrant colors jumped out from the black background. The characters’ faces were made up like clowns with large patches of white, red, purple and green. The costumes were equally colorful. Each character donned vibrant stylistic outfits which Aladdin’s own genie would have hard pressed to outdo. Perhaps the most distinct piece of gear was a headdress worn by Edelman which appeared as scores of fat cotton.

Though ceaseless, the movement of the show was highly controlled. There was never a moment of chaos—every action appeared choreographed and necessary. The actors were well focused and their voices were controlled.

Though none seemed to have outstanding vocal strength, their harmonies blended well and the mantras were well enunciated. Performing to a full house, the show was as well received as it was attended. Hopefully this success will bring UMO back to Colby with a third production.

More press:

Seattle Times, 30 Aug. 1997