By Rebecca Ragain

The relationship between Portland-based choreographers Tere Mathern and Minh Tran dates back more than 20 years. Mathern was Tran’s first modern dance teacher when Tran was enrolled in Portland State University’s dance program in the mid-’80s.

The two performed together in the university’s company; later, when Tran formed his own company, Mathern was one of the founding dancers. “I LOVE working with Tere,” says Tran. “We go way back.”

So when local dance presenter White Bird decided to commission new work from Tran for White Bird’s first program of 2010, it made perfect sense to invite Mathern’s company to share the stage.

“It was a natural fit… We had presented Minh before, so we were inviting him back, and partnering him with Tere, who we had not presented,” says White Bird co-founder Paul King.

“It was a perfect proposition from White Bird to do this,” says Tran. “It’s a great reunion for us in the studio.”

The Tere Mathern Dance / Minh Tran & Company program consists of a new work created by each choreographer for his or her own company. Mathern’s contribution is titled “PIVOT” and Tran’s “KISS.” In addition, Mathern and Tran will perform a duet called “Twine,” created especially for the occasion.

Tran plans for his onstage bow after the final performance January 24 to be his last as a dancer. It seems apropos that he is ending his career in this capacity the same way he began it: dancing with Mathern.

“It’s bittersweet, in a sense,” says Tran, who is stepping down as a performer in order to concentrate on his roles as company director and choreographer.

In regards to retiring from dancing in his own work, Tran says: “For me, to step out and look at the bigger picture, I enjoy the work better. I can see it without the personal criticisms and personal investment in it and see more of the work itself.”

Tran prefers to make a graceful exit, while he is still in good form as a performer. He jokes, “You don’t want people to drag you off [the stage]… it’s not that sexy when you’re over 40 and trying to wear a thong.”

“And there are plenty of thongs in this show,” he adds, referring to “KISS.”

Tran’s first new work since “Forgotten Memories” (2007), “KISS” is based on Tran’s experience of coming out over 25 years ago. “I want the audience to see the vulnerability of how scary it is to come to your own terms with sexual identity,” says Tran.

“KISS” examines labels such as femme, top, bottom and fag. Tran says: “Whether straight or gay, there are a lot of social terms, vocabulary, that once we say those labels it instantly changes the social setting. I want people to have a thought about that.”

Tran’s work is often highly personal. He has, for instance, used dance as a way to process and share his experience of being a refugee from Vietnam; Tran and his brothers were smuggled out of the country when he was 13. In a way, “KISS” marks the final chapter in Tran’s choreographic autobiography.

Before Tran could tackle the topic of sexual identity on stage, he had to come to terms with his own thoughts and emotions. He says, “The true thing is that you really need to strip it down to where you have to be comfortable with yourself first, before you convince the outside world who you are.”

Music for “KISS” was composed by Heather Perkins, who often works with local choreographers. Mathern’s piece, “PIVOT,” is set to a live score by another composer who frequently collaborates with the dance community, Tim DuRoche.

Although Mathern has always been “a choreographer to watch,” according to White Bird co-founder Walter Jaffe, “in recent years, she’s risen to the front of major work that’s being created here.”

The White Bird commission is bound to help that progression. As Tran points out, the opportunity to create work without dealing with funding and production details is a rare gift: “It’s the dream of every single choreographer, not just in Portland, but in the entire nation.”

White Bird’s co-founders feel that Tran and Mathern are utilizing the commission to its fullest: “They’re building on everything they’ve done from this point—all the relationships—just really taking their work to the next level.”

White Bird presents Tere Mathern Dance / Minh Tran & Company, Wednesday, January 20 through Sunday, January 24 at Miller Hall in the World Forestry Center, 4033 SW Canyon Road, Portland. All performances except for Sunday’s matinee begin at 8 p.m. Tickets are $16-$26 plus service fees via 800-745-3000, Ticketmaster, or with a Fertile Ground Festival pass; the White Bird program is part of the 10-day arts event.