Bodhisattva Beer Run is an evening-length dance work that contemplates the commodification of Buddhism and the performance of gender in the context of an Asian-American multi-generational culture transition. Building on evan and Glenn’s body of work as butoh dance-makers and their interest in Shingon Buddhism, the piece conflates the iterative nature of binge drinking and the mind-altering aspects of drunken euphoria with esoteric Buddhist practices like mantra recitation and mandala envisionment as a form of unfulfilled diasporic meaning-making. Bodhisattva Beer Run is loosely based on Glenn and evan’s experiences growing up in Asian-American enclaves on the West Coast, and uses home video reenactments, audio and projection feedback loops, and beer-fueled butoh as a form of almost autobiography. Through a sometimes irresponsible use of source material, Bodhisattva Beer Run underscores the parallels between Asian-American identity and the strangeness of the American absorption of Buddhism into the greater cultural conversation.

Bodhisattva Beer Run premiered at PAGEANT (Brooklyn, NY) on June 20-21, 2024, and was subsequently presented by Cannonball at Icebox Project Space* (Philadelphia, PA) on September 14-21, 2024.

Choreography and performance by evan ray suzuki and Glenn Potter-Takata
Projection Design by Glenn Potter-Takata
Projection Videography by evan ray suzuki
Sound Design by Glenn Potter-Takata
Lighting Design by evan ray suzuki
Costume Design by evan ray suzuki

On screen appearances by Tei Blow and Joe Masterman

Photography by Elyse Mertz and Ashley Smith of Wide Eyed Studios
Videography by Alex Romania

*2024 Cannonball BIPOC New Work Commission

Bodhisattva Beer Run was funded, in part, through the Bronx Dance Fund, a regrant program administered by the Bronx Council on the Arts.