Rebellious Tone of ‘fresh tracks/02’ Survives Fuses and Seating

The George J. Doizaki Gallery at the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center resembled a trendy performance club Thursday, as the center’s “fresh tracks/02” series opened a three-night run.

Although food and drink weren’t sold, the audience and the performers were young, the material had a rebellious streak and the sight lines were terrible. Most of the folding chairs were in rows on the flat floor, with three raised rows near the back, so it was difficult to see the dancers or actors whenever they approached a prone position.

Near the end, just as the hereandnow theater company was beginning the depiction of a feverish sexual assault, a fuse blew out. The stage lights and sound system broke down, the house lights came up, thumbs twiddled. After the problem was fixed, the company resumed its work with different material, probably a smart choice, although the audience was left wondering what might have been.

The evening began auspiciously with “S(hed),” a sensual video and dance that focused on undressing, dressing and cross-dressing, performed by the choreographer Marianne Kim and Peter Carpenter, with videography by Viola X.

Two spoken-word artists followed: Rotha Dom, a soft-spoken commentator who discussed a daughter disdainful of her Cambodian American mother, and Leah Taguba, a hip-hop-influenced Filipina American with a more aggressive approach.

The hereandnow company presented four sketches in addition to the one that was interrupted. The lighter-toned pieces--one about pidgin and the other about a trio of miked sound-effects artists at the mall--were more successful.

Tonight’s third bill of fare will feature a different round of dance, spoken word and hip-hop.

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“fresh tracks/02,” George J. Doizaki Gallery, 244 S. San Pedro St., Little Tokyo. $12. (213) 680-3700.