Immigration has become a near-constant point of political debate in the United States. For those with intimate experience of the complexities of the process, it is often a source of personal anguish.
In “Alien of Extraordinary,” an immersive dance and theater performance by dancer, writer, director and choreographer Sun Kim, these emotional impacts came to the forefront. Performed as part of the La MaMa Moves! Dance Festival at the Ellen Stewart Theatre on April 23 to 24, the work was a poignant example of the power of dance and the dance community, in handling the topics that need to be talked about the most.
Sun specializes in popping, a kind of street dance defined by setting intricate muscle movements to a rhythm. She moved to the United States in 2011 with an “Alien of Extraordinary Ability” visa, a designation for applicants who meet the requirement to “demonstrate extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business or athletics.” The inspiration for the piece came from Sun’s own experiences with the process, which she says was frustrating, emotionally taxing and, at times, made no sense at all.
“Why do they call the immigrants alien? … It already implies that we don’t belong here,” Sun said.
“I can’t just keep crying and then complaining about this, because we have no choice other than just get out of bed, get up, do the work and make it work,” Sun Kim, dancer, writer, director and choreographer
A full-length version of “Alien of Extraordinary” premiered last November after a residency with Works and Process and the CUNY Dance Initiative, programs that offer funding and rehearsal space for emerging choreographic works. According to Sun, this most recent 35-minute version is a little different — the scripted portions became more central to the work, making it more interactive and opening up possibilities to mix in elements of comedy. It also included the introduction of voice-over actor Erica Diederich and live music from the composer Michael Winograd.
The piece was brought to life by co-writer Dillon Kraemer, scenic designer Psyril Apacible and lighting designer Amina Alexander. Against the theater space’s dark wood walls were a selection of carefully arranged set pieces: a simple table set, an easy chair, a clear office cubicle and a glowing red door.
Alongside Sun, dancers Jordan Kaya, Adniel Velez and Alice Castro portrayed the emotional uncertainty of trying to gain that “extraordinary ability” status through a series of impactful vignettes.
In many ways, the power of “Alien of Extraordinary” came from its careful combinations of unlikely artistic choices. The work was a complex arrangement of music, dance and theater that together created a story with an exceptional level of emotional poignancy.
Popping and theater may not feel like a likely combination, but Sun’s work is a powerful unification. She said that as a naturally shy person, popping has always been a way she could find her voice. According to Sun, because of the addition of theater, the dancing done in the piece may differ from what audiences have seen in the past, but she says audiences can see how she uniquely utilizes it in her body to tell a story.
Similarly, popping is not normally set to a live clarinet, but as Winograd’s accompaniment blended with his simple piano score, it felt just right.
If these careful choices were not proof enough of Sun’s artistry, the most impressive blend of all was the emotional range throughout. A large part of the comedy came through Velez’s character, an immigration lawyer who entered the stage through the audience, passing out business cards. He gave his client a long list of steps to complete and a multi-foot-long paper of necessary expenses for her immigration journey. With a cheerful bounce, he then exited the stage with the line, “It’s actually better if I do all the talking.”
As the piece progressed, the emotional anguish increased. Castro twisted herself into a backbend to read piles of immigration papers. Kaya slammed her body against the clear doors of the office cubicle, growing increasingly frustrated and eventually falling to the ground. The power of Diederich’s voice acting came through in what sounded like a call from a faraway family member offering words of encouragement.
“If you cannot find a community, you will make it for yourself,” a voice through a muffled telephone call said.
In perhaps the most striking moment of all, the fictional immigration client is told her status was denied — she has 90 days to appeal before she must leave the country. On the ground, Sun cried and sniffled, struggling to stand, and audience members were forced to face the agony caused by the immigration system. It can be difficult to witness this kind of vulnerability, but Sun’s performance is potent and important.
For Sun, the dance community played a large part in helping her find her place after the difficult immigration journey. Now, due to the large majority of the dancers in her company being immigrants themselves, a large goal of the piece was to honor their stories and speak to their collective experience.
“I can’t just keep crying and then complaining about this, because we have no choice other than just get out of bed, get up, do the work and make it work,” Sun said.
“Alien of Extraordinary” was proof of that ethos. It had moments of comedy and irony as well as moments of intense suffering, but what lingered was the power of the artistic community.
“We’re fighting together,” Sun said as she thanked her creative team post-performance.
With loud applause and a standing ovation, it was clear that Sun has a powerful community ready to join that fight.
CORRECTION: In a previous version of this article, Dillon Kraemer was not credited as a co-writer of “Alien of the Extraordinary.” The article has been updated to reflect all of the contributors to the piece.