DVD Concerts, Episode 6 — Miu and Maira perform 4 songs (Moon River, Desire, Moliendo Café & Never Gonna Give You Up) and talk about their process on Dan Victor Does. They are dancers, singers, musicians, artists and entertainers that show us how to have fun and ignite the imagination. These two capture an authentic enthusiasm for their craft, which is apparent and infectious to their audiences.
Maira Duarte, from Mexico, and Miu Soda, from Japan, met in Staten Island in 2015, at a Dance to the People CUNY Dance Initiative Residency. Since then, they have performed together in several DTTP works such as the Tampon Piece (2018), which they co-created, and at New York venues such as Bizarre Bar, Judson Church, Center for Performance Research, The Spectrum, Local Project, Nublu, and in Mexico at Foro Performatica, in Cholula, Puebla. They are featured in the music videos Los Pastores, by Chancha Via Circuito and Soul in my Body by the Pinc Louds.
Since 2019 they started seriously picking up trash and dancing with it in such called Trash Outings (www.dancetothepeople.org for more info). The trash found was later used in elaborate costumes and in choreographed performances. 2020 has been a very productive artistic year for Miu and Maira, for they added ukulele playing to their performance. They have been showcased regularly at different parks and community gardens, such as The Hercules Garden, in which they met the Open Mic Host, Dan Victor.
Watch and listen to the four music videos from their set:
• “Moon River“ on ukulele, the song originally performed by Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s and written by Henry Mancini with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. It won an Academy Award for best song and 1962 Grammy Awards for Best Album and Best Song.
• “Desire“ sang by Miu with dance routine, originally by Akina Nakamori, a Japanese pop-star, released 1986.
• “Moliendo Café“ or Grinding Coffee, on ukulele sung in both Spanish and Japanese, is a Venezuelan song by Hugo Blanco, a number 1 hit in Argentina 1961.
• “Never Gonna Give You Up“ on ukulele with synchronized dance routine to the words, originally by Rick Astely, famous for the “Rickrolling” internet meme, was learned for a friend’s moving away party, without any knowledge of the joke, made it a heart-felt tribute.
Grateful for having Miu and Maira for the sixth episode of DVD Concerts and conclusion to Season One. It was so exciting to work with dance, in addition to music performance. They exposed me yet to another way to work with creativity. It was by-far, the longest shoot, with costume changes, different lens, mic set-ups and post-production, offering many challenges, but yielding some incredible results I’m very proud to share. These talented women leave a lasting impression on your mind, with a smile on your face and a song in your heart. Follow Miu on Instagram and Maira on Instagram. Check out DanceToThePeope.org for more great content.
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