We gather at the pool, awaiting “Water,” the first free dance event at this season’s Lincoln Center Out of Doors. From behind a huge Henry Moore sculpture emerges Eiko, an apparition in a pale kimono, her long hair loose around her white-painted face. Soon her partner, Koma, joins her, moving slowly in the dark, rippling pool.
Their new piece references “River,” which they’ve performed in 11 different bodies of water since 1995. It evokes the chaos wrought by natural disasters in their native Japan. Native American musician Robert Mirabal drums and plays his hand-made flutes. A driftwood raft surrounds the dancers as they float in the shallow water.
The hour-long work seems to last a lifetime. Whether bored, fascinated, or transported, you’ll remember these figures clinging together.
