Chicago Sun Times January 19, 2007
Total team effort
By Misha Davenport, Staff Reporter
Just what the heck is "4-Ish"? It's a question that Marco Gerris and Thor Vandenbossche, two of the founding members of the performance group Ish, are used to answering.
"4-Ish" (opening tonight at the Harris Theater) is the fourth show staged by a group from Amsterdam called Ish. They take their name from the smorgasbord of talents contained within their show, says Gerris.
"It's a blend of theater, dance, music and sports. It's a little of everything," Gerris says. "Some people have said it's a little bit like a circus mixed with the energy and dance of a show like 'Stomp!'"
"It blends all kinds of cultures, art forms and music into one big, beautiful smush of something," adds Vandenbossche.
The ensemble piece gives each of its cast members at least a few moments to demonstrate their particular talent or skill (for a breakdown of who does what, see the accompanying story).
Viewers can expect to see everything from high-energy break-dance routines to daring displays of in-line skating.
Vandenbossche, a one-man beat box and sound effects machine, provides much of the spoken narrative as well as the sound effects and the beat in each scene.
"Overall, it is a very fragmented performance," Gerris says. "Each of these scenes tells its own little story, but by the end you realize that each is part of the bigger story."
The plot is about celebrating individual as well as the whole by combining parts of individual skills into something previously unseen and new.
"For me personally, it is recognizing that you can do more with whatever your skill is only when you combine it with something someone else can do," Gerris says.
If the show seems like a melting pot of culture and talent, it is.
Gerris was born in the Philippines and was adopted by Belgian parents. Vandenbossche was born in Africa and is part South African and Belgian.
Both know a little something about recognizing and celebrating your differences even while you try to fit in. And each had been performing several years when Gerris approached Vandenbossche in 1999 about combining their talents along with several other performers into what would later become Ish.
"We were both at a theater festival in Holland" Vandenbossche recalls. "We had both seen each other perform and he asked me if I would be up for experimenting on a new show with him."
By 2000, Gerris had secured financial backing and the original core group of seven performers met up and began fleshing out their first show.
"Thor was the first member aside from myself," Gerris adds. "Some have left and right now there are around 50 Ish-ers all with their own skills and talents."
Their unconventional approach to performance art has earned them a legion of fans internationally and they are just starting to catch on in America.
And it has become more than just a performance piece, says Vandenbossche.
"Everyone involved with Ish feels very strongly about teaching and sharing," he says. "We have the Ish Institute in Amsterdam, where people can come to learn and refine their skills and we are also very much involved in teaching projects around the world."
Ish has actually been in town for two weeks, working with kids from Chicago's After School Matters program and Chicago Children's Theatre. It's the second time the group has done workshops in North America and Vandenbossche says the group is amazed by the quality of talent.
"There is a wide range of talent with these Chicago kids and we're very fortunate to work with them," Vandenbossche says.
The workshop will cumulate with a private performance by the children of their own Ish-inspired show for their friends, parents and teachers.
"Our task is to analyze each child and where their true strength and talent lies, pull it out of them, polish it and make it more theatrical," Vandenbossche says.
Vandenbossche says the workshops are part and parcel of coming into a city and doing a show.
"It's so much more fulfilling than just pulling into a city, rocking a show and then leaving," he says.
At the heart of Ish is a symbiotic relationship between performer and community, Gerris says.
"When you go somewhere, you need to mix your culture with theirs so both of you can learn."
"This isn't just about showing a local community what we can do," Vandenbossche adds. "It's about that local community showing us what they can do. It's an exchange and each of us is better for it."
Who 'ISH' who?
A QUICK LOOK AT THE TALENT THAT BRINGS "ISH" TO LIFE:
Marco Gerris, 31 Founding member Skills: acting and dancing
Thor Vandenbossche, 31 Founding member Skills: "The Voice master" and human beat box is the voice of "4-Ish" as well as its beat.
Ken Srisangkhan, 27 Founding member Skills: Srisangkhan will perform martial arts feats during "4-Ish."
Micka Karlsson, 26 Member since 2003 Skills: At age 8, Karlsson literally ran away and joined the circus, where she perfected air skills like the trapeze and rope. Expect her to perform a high-energy blend of acrobatics and dance.
Mellissa Elberg, 23 Member since 2006 Skills: One of the newest performers to join the Ish family, Elberg brings dance and acrobat skills to the table.
Tio Eerhart, 27 Member since 2003 Skills: One of Holland's few pro-inline skaters, he's been skating professionally since 1999.
Sven Broekhorst, 26 Member since 2003 Skills: One of Holland's other pro in-line skaters, Broekhorst is a triple crown winner, having won at the Gravity Games, the X-Games and the ASA Pro Tour World Championships.
Raphael Hillebrand, 25 Member since 2004 Skills: Hillebrand is a three-time Berlin break-dancing champ who straps on roller skates in "4-Ish"
Niels van der Steen, 32 Member since 2004 Skills: The son of a dancer, van der Steen takes a more modern approach with street and break dancing.
Sebastiaan Ramirez, 23 Member since 2006 Skills: An organizer of hip-hop events, Ramirez will show off some of his break-dancing moves.
Irie Weergang Bove, 27 Member since 2006 Skills: A former member of the hip-hop group 8MM, DJ Bove is known for his scratching and mixing abilities.
'4-ISH'
• Through Jan. 28
• Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Millennium Park, 205 E. Randolph
• Tickets, $15-$25
• (312) 334-7777