Naoto Iina + Takao Kawaguchi +
Mikiko Kawamura + Dai Matsuoka
—THREE
THREE (24 minutes)
BUTOH Sunakku—Aftershow (45min)
BUTOH Sunakku—World Edition - Russian Talk（45min）
Japanese subtitles: Fumine Okumura
Three modern-day dancers copy three masterworks by the founders of Butoh: Tatsumi Hijikata, Kazuo Ohno and Yoshito Ohno. The performers Mikiko Kawamura, Takao Kawaguchi and Dai Matsuoka are three dancers who have responded to the spirit of Butoh with modern methods. Kawamura reproduces Tatsumi Hijikata’s Hosotan (Story of Smallpox), Takao Kawaguchi reconstructs Kazuo Ohno’s Admiring La Argentina, and Dai Matsuoka recreates Yoshito Ohno’s Hijikata Sansho. With careful study of archived footage from the original performances and intense training, they transport Butoh to the here and now. A 3D hologram installation film will be shown together with these performances.
About the artists
Mikiko Kawamura is a contemporary dancer who has been performing both in Japan and overseas ever since her debut student performance drew peoples’ attention.
Takao Kawaguchi joined Dumb Type in 1996, and began a solo career in 2000, pursuing the possibilities of multi-genre performances. His About Kazuo Ohno (2013) has been highly acclaimed throughout the dance world.
Dai Matsuoka has been a Butoh dancer with Sankai Juku’s since 2005, and continues to perform in their major works to this day. Since 2011 he has also been taken on other responsibilities, such as director of LAND FES.
It was the encounter of Tatsumi Hijikata (1928-86), Kazuo Ohno (1906-2010), and Yoshito Ohno (1938-2020) that inspired the creation of the new dance style that became Butoh. More than 60 years on, Butoh is now known internationally, and has great influence on contemporary art all over the world. The recreation of the founders’ original works by three contemporary professional dancers is one of the highlights of this work.
This work was directed by Naoto Iina, a filmmaker, director, and producer who works on multi-genre artworks that make use of film, bodies, and words.
The illustrations that feature in the Butoh ceiling were drawn by artist Yo Ishihara. This ceiling is based on the currently running online exhibition Butoh Incidents (http://www.tokyorealunderground.net/english/program/dekigotology.html).
About THREE
“Tango Bird”, copied by Takao Kawaguchi, is a scene from Admiring La Argentina (1977) and was directed by Tatsumi Hijikata. Famously performed by Kazuo Ohno, it has become one of the quintessential works of Butoh.
Hijikata Sansho, copied by Dai Matsuoka, was originally a scene directed by Hijikata for Dead Sea, which premiered at a Butoh festival in 1985. It was also performed by Yoshito Ohno as his first performance when returning to the stage after a long break, and he continued performing it with great care ever after.
For this work, Naoto Iina has focussed on the 3-way relationship between Tatsumi Hijikata, Kazuo Ohno, and Yoshito Ohno. After being greatly impressed by Kazuo Ohno’s first contemporary dance recital in 1949, Hijikata stage managed Kazuo Ohno’s The Old Man and the Sea in April 1949, before presenting Kinjiki with Kazuo’s second son, Yoshito Ohno in May. This duet with Tatsumi Hijikata and Yoshito Ohno is often considered the beginning of Butoh.
The story of these three, Iina believes, was spurred on by feelings of “respect and jealousy”, each influencing the other two to create a new form of dance that later became Butoh. With this in mind, for THREE, Mikiko Kawamura was invited to copy Hijikata Tatsumi’s 1972 solo piece Hosotan (Story of Smallpox), to illustrate the thrilling antagonism of their relationships.
BUTOH Sunakku—World Edition - Russian Talk
Three Russian speakers Yulia Skogoreva (photographer), Olga Gerasim (architect / designer), and Rodion TR (curator) who are now based in Japan, get together to discuss their impressions of Butoh and THREE.
Join in the discussion via the chat, which will be open during this live talk. Although the discussion will be in Russian, feel free to join the chat in Japanese or English as well.
The project THREE propels us into an intersection. It weaves a web. Three modern-day dancers focus on each of the three masters of Butoh, invoking and re-playing them in motion through: dance, exhibition, film, hologram and television. Three Russian natives, Rodion TR (Gallery Neo Tokyo), Yulia Skogoreva (Butoh & contemporary dance photographer) and Olga Gerasim (designer & architect), come together to follow the patterns in this multi-media web, pointing to the distinctive knots and passing them on to our Russian-speaking viewers.
The live chat will be open during this talk, so come and weave yourself in!
Rodion TR
Проект «3» толкает нас в пересечения. Он плетёт сеть. 3 современных танцора обращаются к 3-м произведениям 3-х мастеров в основе Буто, чтобы вызвать и вос-произвести их в движении сквозь медиа: танец, выставка, видео, голограмма, телевидение. Rodion TR (Gallery-Neo.tokyo), Юлия Скогорева (фотограф Буто и современного танца) и Ольга Герасим (дизайнер и архитектор) встречаются, втроём, чтобы проследить это мульти-медиальное плетение, отметить яркие узлы и продолжить вязь, передав её русскоязычному зрителю.
Живой чат открыт во время трансляции. Вплетайтесь!
Rodion TR
Artists
naoto iina
Videographer, director, dramaturg, visual scenographer and producer. Iina is the founder of Dance and Media Japan and International Dance Film Festival. He is also an Associate professor at Tokyo Zokei University and lecturer at Za Koenji Theatre Academy. Recently he has been working on cross-genre works with video, dance and text. He is in charge of direction, composition, filming and editing of the online Butoh program "Re-Butoooh" (NPO Dance Archive Network).
Takao Kawaguchi
Joined the performance group Dumb Type in 1996. Began a solo career in 2000, exploring the boundaries of performance across theatre, dance, video and art. In 2008 he began a solo performance series called a perfect life, which was presented at the 5th Yebisu International Festival for Art and Alternative Visions in 2013. In recent years, he has been working on performances that are related to Butoh, including The Sick Dancer (with Tomomi Tanabe, 2012) and About Kazuo Ohno (2013). The latter was nominated for an NYC Bessie Award, and was shown at Théâtre de la Ville in Paris in 2018.
http://www.kawaguchitakao.com/
©Etsuko Suzuki
Mikiko Kawamura
Born 1990. Began dancing at the age of 16, and creating her own works in 2011. Having won numerous awards, she has caught peoples' interest as an up and coming Japanese dancer. She has performed both in Japan and abroad, and did a 6 month residency in 2016 that took her across Paris, Lyon, Grenoble, Marseille and Le Havre while based at the Centre National de la Danse and CCNR. She performs not only in theatres, but also at outdoor and live events, is involved in video and music production, and makes accessories. She moved to Minamiboso in 2019.
http://kawamuramikiko.com/
Photo by Maiko Miyagawa
Dai Matsuoka
Dai Matsuoka has been performing with Sankai Juku since 2005, and has appeared in some of their major works including Kinkan Shonen, Tobari, Unetsu and ARC. Director of LAND FES since 2011, a festival that invites the audience to watch music and dance performances as they walk around the city. He has been an instructor for the Scramble Dance Project in Odawara since 2018, in which both people with and without disabilities create dances together. He also runs BUTOH CHOREO LAB, an online platform with video lessons by high-profile Butoh dancers.
http://daimatsuoka.com
Moderator
Photo by Katsuhiro Ichikawa
Tamaki Harada
Writer, editor and baker. She established Cawaii Factory with Mari Nakayama in 1998, as writing partners of art and design. She writes, plans and edits for magazines, books, and other publications. In 2009 she founded the publishing label "True Ring". Her unique planning and editing style is reflected in her art and design books. The latest publication is satoshi hirose (2020). She is also the chief baker at Cawaii Bread & Coffee, in Hatchobori, Tokyo, and is often up baking her artisan breads at 5 in the morning.
https://linktr.ee/truering_cawaiifactory/
Russian Talk - Speakers
Юлия Скогорева | Yulia Skogoreva
Фотограф, арт-директор.
Юлия изучала лингвистику японского языка в Институте Стран Азии Африки МГУ им. М.В.Ломоносова. Во время учебы Юлия работала переводчиком для японских танцоров, приезжающих на гастроли в Москву.
Закулисная жизнь театра и магия танца вдохновили Юлию на занятие фотографией. Окончив МГУ в 2010 году, она переехала в Токио, где поступила в Институт Искусства Фотографии и продолжила фотографировать танцоров.
Сейчас Юлия живет и работает фотографом в Токио, регулярно участвуя в выставках и арт-проектах.
https://www.yuliasko.com https://www.instagram.com/yuliasko.ph
Russian-born fine art and documentary photographer Yulia Skogoreva has been based in Tokyo for the past 10 years. Having majored in Japanese studies at Moscow State University, Yulia moved to Japan where she graduated from the Nippon Photography Institute.
Yulia’s photographic vision was shaped while working with Japanese butoh dancers during a theatre festival in Moscow. She was inspired by the history of the Butoh movement and the backstage life of artists, and set out on a journey to photograph dancers capturing the idea of the movement in space. Since then Yulia has been discovering the unique features and unwrapping the challenges of contemporary Japanese society with her camera through the prism of movement and dance. Movement is the ultimate form of expression for Yulia, often more eloquent than words. She puts together her thoughts and feelings in an audibly silent but visually striking photographic representation.
https://www.yuliasko.com https://www.instagram.com/yuliasko.ph
Ольга Герасим | Olga Gerasim
Архитектор и дизайнер из Санкт-Петербурга, Ольга Герасим последние шесть лет живет и работает в Токио, исследуя традиционное японское искусство и ремесло, и инкорпорируя их в свою практику. В творчестве Ольги, будь то разработка концепции отеля, дизайн для гоночной команды, участвующей в 24 часах Ле Мана или мультидисциплинарные выставочные проекты, разнообразные виды японского искусства, такие как мокуханга и суибокуга, находят отражение в современном дизайне. Работы Ольги были включены в 2018 году в групповую выставку в National Art Center в Токио, а также отмечены призом Nishi-Nihon Shinbun.
https://olgaguera.com/ https://www.instagram.com/olgaguera/
Saint-Petersburg native architect and designer Olga Gerasim has been part of multiple international projects that helped her gain recognition in spatial, industrial and interior design fields. Projects include the design of a resort hotel, and team and trophy designs for LeMans Championship among others. Having moved to Japan five years ago, Olga set on a journey to explore traditional Japanese arts such as suiboku-ga, mokuhanga and boro stitching, which she enhances with graphic and spatial design practices. Olga’s innovative approach led to numerous creative achievements including a Nishi-Nihon Shinbun award for a suiboku-ga artwork which was exhibited at the National Art Center, Tokyo in 2018.
https://olgaguera.com/ https://www.instagram.com/olgaguera/
Rodion TR
После изучения психоанализа в Санкт-Петербурге, Россия, Rodion TR прибыл в Японию в качестве исследователя в 2003 году. Будучи в аспирантуре Университета Искусств Мусасино, он основал ENTOMORODIA curatorial net/work и активно участвовал в международных проектах. После получения докторской степени в 2015-м году он решил продолжить своё исследование искусства, основываясь на принципах независимости и самообеспеченности. В настоящий момент, он руководит его Gallery-Neo.tokyo, что на протяжении 10-ти лет находит и показывает художников, которые осмеливаются ввести в реальность то, что вне.
www.gallery-neo.tokyo
Having studied psychoanalysis in Saint Petersburg, Russia, Rodion TR arrived in Japan in 2003 as a researcher. During his post-graduate studies at the Musashino Art University he founded ENTOMORODIA, a curatorial net/work that actively engaged in international art projects. After obtaining his PhD in 2015, Rodion TR continued his research in art on the basis of freedom and self-reliance. Currently, Rodion TR manages his Gallery-Neo.tokyo, which for the last 10 years has been discovering and showcasing artists who dare to instill in reality what is beyond.
www.gallery-neo.tokyo
Credits
Direction / Composition
Naoto Iina
Exhibition Design / Construction
Yusuke Suzuki Design Office Inc.
Film Production
NPO LAND FES
“Tango Bird”, from About Kazuo Ohno
Choreography
Tatsumi Hijikata
Kazuo Ohno
Performed by
Takao Kawaguchi
Dramaturg
Naoto Iina
Lighting / Management
Toshio Mizohata
Costume
Noriko Kitamura
In cooperation with
Kazuo Ohno Dance Studio
Hosotan (Story of Smallpox)
Choreography
Tatsumi Hijikata
Performed by
Mikiko Kawamura
Costume
Noriko Kitamura
In cooperation with
Keio University Art Center
Hijikata Sansho
Choreography
Tatsumi Hijikata
Passed on by
Yoshito Ohno
Performed by
Dai Matsuoka
In cooperation with
Kazuo Ohno Dance Studio
Technical Team
Takashi Kawachi (stage management)
Roshi (sunagumi) (stage management)
Noriyuki Mori (Lighting Design)
Noriaki Coda (sound)
Exhibition Team
Naoto Iina (direction / filming / editing)
Naohiro Yoshida (filming / editing)
Eri Kawamura (filming / editing)
Yo Ishihara (Butoh ceiling illustrations)
Yusuke Suzuki Design Office Inc. (exhibition setup design)
Morishita Studio, SAISON Foundation (filming location)
Photography
Tatsuhiko Nakagawa
Tzvasa Wada
In cooperation with
Kazuo Ohno Dance Studio
Keio University Art Center
SAISON Foundation
Dance and Media Japan
Organisers
Tokyo Metropolitan Government
Arts Council Tokyo (Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture)
Planning and Production
NPO Dance Archive Network
Hologram at Home
Three performances filmed in 4K from three different angles are put together to create a 3D pseudo-hologram display in this experimental approach to archiving dance.
Watch the timing of the movements, and dancers’ centre of gravity.
Discover new aspects to dance by watching it from the sides as well as the front.
This new footage brings to light previously unseen facial expressions, muscles, movements of the costume, along with an invisible glow emitted by the dancers.
To archive Butoh is to not only record the steps of the dance, but also the mood of the dancer—to capture that essential something that radiates from dance.
Enjoy the hologram performances from THREE in the comfort of your own home.
To get the best experience out of these miniature palm-sized dancers, darken the room and connect your smartphone to a speaker.
Use the display to research Butoh, decorate your room, or find your own way to enjoy the performances by these 3 illusory figures.
How to Make a Hologram
Play Hologram
Credits
Direction / Composition
Naoto Iina
Filming / editing
Naohiro Yoshida (filming / editing)
Eri Kawamura (filming / editing)
Naoto Iina (direction / filming / editing)
Film Production
NPO LAND FES
“Tango Bird”, from About Kazuo Ohno
Choreography
Tatsumi Hijikata
Kazuo Ohno
Performed by
Takao Kawaguchi
Dramaturg
Naoto Iina
Lighting / Management
Toshio Mizohata
Costume
Noriko Kitamura
In cooperation with
Kazuo Ohno Dance Studio
Hosotan (Story of Smallpox)
Choreography
Tatsumi Hijikata
Performed by
Mikiko Kawamura
Costume
Noriko Kitamura
In cooperation with
Keio University Art Center
Hijikata Sansho
Choreography
Tatsumi Hijikata
Passed on by
Yoshito Ohno
Performed by
Dai Matsuoka
In cooperation with
Kazuo Ohno Dance Studio
Technical Team
Roshi (sunagumi) (stage management)
Noriyuki Mori (Lighting Design)
Noriaki Coda (sound)
Morishita Studio, SAISON Foundation (filming location)
In cooperation with
Kazuo Ohno Dance Studio
Keio University Art Center
SAISON Foundation
Dance and Media Japan