An 'Ocean,' But Not One Of Despair

For nearly three years, Hyattsville-based choreographer Daniel Burkholder has immersed himself in water. Not literally, but academically, spiritually, politically and practically. He has kept track of how much water his household uses, looked into the origins of the Japanese tea ceremony and boned up on the politics of water rights. The result is "My Ocean Is Never Blue," an ever-evolving multimedia movement piece using film, spoken word and an original score.

That Burkholder returns to Dance Place this weekend with "Ocean" as World Water Week winds down seems appropriate. His company will share the stage with local performance artist Jane Jerardi, who will present "Perspective," a retrospective of her choreography from recent years.

"I had an interest in the broader relationship we humans have with water," Burkholder says, "not only for our survival, but in how we integrate it into so many other aspects of our lives, from ecological to sociological to spiritual."

Four hundred thirty-six million people live in a water-stressed situation.

Burkholder's company of seven performers work in a give-and-take process, shifting sections, adding ideas and revising choreography every time a work is performed. In the past 2 1/2 years, "Ocean" has been presented on formal stages, in amphitheaters, in an art gallery and at a public park with the Anacostia River as a backdrop. This weekend, the piece will include 17 dancers from Burkholder's repertory class at Dance Place. That number, he says, allows for ever-changing cascades of bodies.

But "Ocean" also features contemplative moments, among them a simple structure Burkholder said was inspired by the Japanese tea ceremony. "It becomes a nice juxtaposition to the more chaotic sections, and in this performance, it's our last section."

The average American uses 300 liters of water a day.

"There will never be a final version of this work," Burkholder says. "A lot of my work, but especially this one, I think of as a collage . . . because I use lots of images and ideas and live music with recorded text and projected video. These elements are layered and juxtaposed, so there's not a story that goes from beginning to end. It's more like the images and movements and sections are all pieces of the puzzle."

In building the puzzle, Burkholder wants everyone -- performers and spectators -- to put the pieces together in their own way, selecting details that may be most meaningful or striking and eschewing those that aren't pleasing.

Six thousand people die every day from water-related illnesses.

Burkholder isn't naive about his choreography. He knows that "Ocean" won't solve the water crisis. But, he says, "I hope that some people have their interest piqued to pay attention to some aspect of water, even if just the next morning, they notice an article in The Post about water."

Water facts from "Who Owns the Water?" edited by Klaus Lanz, Lars Mueller, Christian Rentsch and René Schwarzenbach (Lars Mueller Publishers, 2006)

Daniel Burkholder and Jane Jerardi Dance Place, 3225 Eighth St. NE. 202-269-1600. www.danceplace.org. Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 7 p.m. $22.