A.K.A. Ka Inoa
(also known as the name)
Weaving together vivid characters, supple movement, and personal story with 300 feet of rope, this work explores the messy gray areas in ethnic identity. What does it mean to wear a label, to wear a name? This interdisciplinary solo mines Bauch’s experience as a multiracial New Yorker and Native Hawaiian who carries the weight of being named after one of Hawai‘i’s most significant and beloved deities, Pele, the goddess of volcanoes. Naming someone after her is generally not done, and Bauch can’t even pronounce her name correctly.
Created* by Pele Bauch
*choreography, text, set & costumes
Theatrical Direction: Eva Burgess
Performers: Pele Bauch, with Marina Celander and Jessie Winograd
Design Dramaturg: Sara C. Walsh
Sound Design: Pele Bauch using the music of Lesley Flanigan
Lighting Design: Philip W. Sandstrom
Ka Inoa is Hawaiian for the name; namesake; name chant or song; an affectionate term for affinal relative (relative not related by blood)
2022 La MaMa Moves! Dance Festival
A.K.A. Ka Inoa is made possible in part with public funds from Creative Engagement, supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by LMCC.