Available until 15 August
Takao Kawaguchi Selection: Un Certain Regard
Takao Kawaguchi—Minotaur Disco
photo by Rokka Ando
photo by Rokka Ando
photo by Rokka Ando
Performers:
Daisuke Yoshimoto,
Naoyuki Sakai /
Film & edit: Akihiro Suzuki
A new piece choreographed and directed by artistic director Takao Kawaguchi, performed by Butoh dancer Daisuke Yoshimoto and contemporary dancer Naoyuki Sakai. Divided by several generations, the two performers form a new dance as monsters of the labyrinth. Reminiscent of the 1960s underground film scene, filmmaker Akihiro Suzuki invites us into a world that is more than just the recording of a stage performance.
Director’s Notes
Holding your breath in the deep, dark labyrinth as footsteps approach. Ah, mon amour! Unable to suppress your emotions, you run and take them into your arms, singing and dancing. Je t’aime, je t’aime. You don’t realise the footsteps were your own.
The labyrinth welcomes Naoyuki Sakai, a contemporary dancer instinctively drawn to Butoh and Daisuke Yoshimoto, long time Butoh dancer and once stage manager for Kazuo Ohno’s premiere of Admiring La Argentina.
Filmmaker Akihiro Suzuki invites us into a world reminiscent of the 1960s underground film scene, with a personal perspective and experimental approach that make this piece more than just a recorded a stage performance. This collaboration between performance and film creates a new experience that cannot be had from an auditorium.
Takao Kawaguchi
Takao Kawaguchi Selection: Un Certain Regard
Butoh, which began in Japan in the 1960s, has influenced many artists across borders and genres. For this series, performer Takao Kawaguchi—known for his bold foray into the world of Butoh with About Kazuo Ohno—has commissioned artists who have been inspired by the experimental spirit of this dance form. A program of rich performances that transcend the boundaries of dance/theatre/music/film and art, this series aims to explore what “Butoh” is and what it may become.
This program is filmed at the Former Hakubutsukan Dobutsuen Station, a historic underground station built in the 1930s by Keisei Electric Railway that was designated an “architectural structure of historic value” by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
In cooperation with Keisei Electric Railway
Trailer
Artists
Photo by Hiroh Kikai
Daisuke Yoshimoto
Majored in performing arts at Nihon University College of Art. Began performing as a Butoh dancer in 1981 after working on Kazuo Ohno’s Admiring La Argentina and My Mother as stage manager. He founded the Butoh Company Tenku-Yoran in 2007 and continues his work energetically both in Japan and abroad. He has a particularly deep relationship with the Grotowski Institute in Wrocław, Poland, and has created opportunities for Butoh to spread its influence there.
Naoyuki Sakai
Born in 1991. Dancer and filmmaker. Completed graduate studies at Tokyo University of the Arts. A “Dance Well” instructor for people living with Parkinson’s disease. Appeared in many performances in both Japan and overseas as part of Un Yamada Co. from 2012 to 2019. His Butoh inspiration has been inherited through Un Yamada and Teita Iwabuchi. Since 2020 he has been based in Kasukabe City, planning events and creating dance videos. He continues to work both on stage and in films, and has appeared in live music performances with RADWINPS, and in music videos with Hakushi Hasegawa and Salyu, among others.
https://naoyukis330.wixsite.com/naoyukisakai330
Akihiro Suzuki
Began producing 8mm films towards the end of the 1980s. He develops unique pieces that focus on the underground and sexuality, working in film direction, production and distribution for film festivals and screenings. In 2020 he established an underground film site called “Art Saloon”, with the aim of streaming and archiving underground films. Major works he has directed include Looking for Angel (1999) and Luna Child (2009). He also planned the film festival Underground Archives (2001), among others.
Art Saloon: https://art-saloon.site/
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/
Credits
Performers
Daisuke Yoshimoto,
Naoyuki Sakai
Choreography & Direction
Takao Kawaguchi
Film & Edit
Akihiro Suzuki
Sound design
Hajime Takagi
Assistants
Tomomi Tanabe,
Yumi Tateishi,
Noriko Kitamura
Filming
Rokka Ando
In cooperation with
Tenku-Yoran
Stage managers
Takashi Kawachi,
Roshi (Sunagumi)
Lighting Design
Noriyuki Mori (balance,inc.DESIGN)
Film cooperation
NPO LAND FES
Photography
Tatsuhiko Nakagawa
Special thanks to:
End Cycle Project
“End Cycle / 終の環 / Završni krug”（2017/Digital/Color /DCP/18min）
Concept & Director
Vladislav Knezević
Choreographer & Performer
Takao Kawaguchi
Vladislav Knezević (filmmaker)
Akiko Sato(plaster design)
Ayako Miyake(producer)
Artists
Photo by Hiroh Kikai
Daisuke Yoshimoto
Majored in performing arts at Nihon University College of Art. Began performing as a Butoh dancer in 1981 after working on Kazuo Ohno’s Admiring La Argentina and My Mother as stage manager. He founded the Butoh Company Tenku-Yoran in 2007 and continues his work energetically both in Japan and abroad. He has a particularly deep relationship with the Grotowski Institute in Wrocław, Poland, and has created opportunities for Butoh to spread its influence there.
Naoyuki Sakai
Born in 1991. Dancer and filmmaker. Completed graduate studies at Tokyo University of the Arts. A “Dance Well” instructor for people living with Parkinson’s disease. Appeared in many performances in both Japan and overseas as part of Un Yamada Co. from 2012 to 2019. His Butoh inspiration has been inherited through Un Yamada and Teita Iwabuchi. Since 2020 he has been based in Kasukabe City, planning events and creating dance videos. He continues to work both on stage and in films, and has appeared in live music performances with RADWINPS, and in music videos with Hakushi Hasegawa and Salyu, among others.
https://naoyukis330.wixsite.com/naoyukisakai330
Akihiro Suzuki
Began producing 8mm films towards the end of the 1980s. He develops unique pieces that focus on the underground and sexuality, working in film direction, production and distribution for film festivals and screenings. In 2020 he established an underground film site called “Art Saloon”, with the aim of streaming and archiving underground films. Major works he has directed include Looking for Angel (1999) and Luna Child (2009). He also planned the film festival Underground Archives (2001), among others.
Art Saloon: https://art-saloon.site/
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/
Performers
Daisuke Yoshimoto,
Naoyuki Sakai
Choreography & Direction
Takao Kawaguchi
Film & Edit
Akihiro Suzuki
Sound design
Hajime Takagi
Assistants
Tomomi Tanabe,
Yumi Tateishi,
Noriko Kitamura
Filming
Rokka Ando
In cooperation with
Tenku-Yoran
Stage managers
Takashi Kawachi,
Roshi (Sunagumi)
Lighting Design
Noriyuki Mori (balance,inc.DESIGN)
Film cooperation
NPO LAND FES
Photography
Tatsuhiko Nakagawa
Special thanks to:
End Cycle Project
“End Cycle / 終の環 / Završni krug”（2017/Digital/Color /DCP/18min）
Concept & Director
Vladislav Knezević
Choreographer & Performer
Takao Kawaguchi
Vladislav Knezević (filmmaker)
Akiko Sato(plaster design)
Ayako Miyake(producer)