"i do regularly perform and teach Butoh Dance and Dramatic Art in more formal situations like theaters and universities (see http://lifeartmastery.com for upcoming events) but the DailyDance practice is meant to be a way to de-mystify the mystical and return dance to its original place as a sacred art of transformation and communion with all of life that is accessible and enriching EVERY-DAY, EVERY-WHERE for EVERY-BODY" --MF
What is Butoh?
Primarily
Butoh is incapable of being defined...it is always emerging
each moment. It is life and death and all that is in between. It is the soul as it is revealed
authentically through the flesh.
That
said, it is also a performing art that originated 50
years ago in Japan. Dancers Hijikata Tatsumi and Kazuo Ohno are
credited as the founders of the art. It has now developed to be a performing
art that is crafted, practiced and performed internationally. It is not
traditionally Japanese...but certainly its source lies in Japan.
Who did you study under?
I
studied for the past 16 years. My primary sensei (teacher) has been Kazuo Ohno with whom I studied, lived, performed for about 5
years in Japan.
When did you first learn of Butoh?
In
1993 I was searching for something to help with my disillusionment as a
performer. I had been in--and quit-- an exclusive MFA broadway track acting conservatory
program/scholarship and "dropped our" for a time when I saw a woman
with an interesting T-shirt next to me in line at a music festival in Seattle.
The woman turned out to be my first butoh teacher,
Joan Laage, and the T-shirt picture was of her
Japanese butoh teacher, Yoko Ashikawa.
How did you decide Butoh is the dance for you?
What other dance forms do you practice?
Butoh
just feels right in my body and soul. Ever since I met butoh,
there has been no other life-art-dance practice that I never tire of and always
am inspired and challenged by. It is
like a soul mate for me and my body.
Apart
from butoh, mostly I have enjoyed all kinds of
improvisational dance like Contact Improvisation, Contemplative Dance Practice
& Authentic Movement.
Since
discovering butoh and my first trip to Japan in 1994,
I worked extensively with Noh Theater and the dance/movement that is related to
it as well as Nihon Buyo, Kabuki and Bejing Opera. My MFA is in Asian Performance and Directing
from University of Hawaii.
I
have also practiced many set forms of dance including modern, contemporary,
ballet, tap, jazz, ethnic forms like west African, hula, belly dance, Korean
dance, folk and contra dance, etc. as well as social dances like tango, salsa
and swing. Enjoyment of many, mastery of none.
What does Butoh enable you to do that you
wouldn’t do otherwise?
Probably
nothing in itself....however my butoh teachers,
especially Kazuo Ohno have enabled me to open my
heart, body, mind and soul in ways I am sure I never could have without their
inspiration and guidance. Simply living and studying in Japan for the time that
I did allowed me a perspective on myself, my creativity and my conditioning
from growing up in the USA that I believe I could not have seen or known had I
not gone. The completely different perspective, culture and landscape woke me
up and opened gateways of my creativity, strength and skill that were
inaccessible otherwise.
How is Butoh a fitting dance for America?
It
is fitting for any country, any human...it is profoundly human and in its depth
and authenticity can emerge as a very fitting practice in any location or
culture.
I
do suggest that anyone who has not been to Japan and is practicing butoh elsewhere would benefit greatly by a good visit to
its source. Each time I go to Japan my dance and life are deeply fulfilled and
enriched by something about the source of butoh that
it is impossible to experience elsewhere.
How does Butoh compare to other dance forms?
It
is not a form. Other dance forms are form based. Butoh
is body, life, soul, earth based and not defined by any particular form. It is
a practice, an art, a way of life. It is not a technique or a set of moves or
style or steps that can be mastered.
About how many people are involved in Butoh?
What cities have large Butoh communities?
I
have tried to figure this out too, it is hard to say. This is why I started the
participatory international butoh network on line (http://butohdance.ning.com) I really
wish more were involved. I’m hopeful about this and it is certainly growing as
a practice with more people becoming enthusiastic and participating as
practitioners and audience.
As
far as I know the largest butoh communities (more
than 1000 people involved) that I know of are in NYC, Paris, San Francisco,
Seattle, Tokyo/Yokohama and Berlin.
Significant
and Smaller ones (less than 1000) are in Portland, Kyoto/Osaka, Vancouver BC,
Chicago, Madrid, London, Boulder, Barcelona, Brussels, Bologna
There
are enthusiasts and practitioners all over the globe....I’m sure I am
forgetting an important city as I write this quickly at the moment--so sorry if
it is yours!
If
you join the international butoh site I founded at http://butohdance.ning.com
there
are 400 members from all over the world and you can connect with all of them
directly. It is a great resource for the butoh
community. When I travel I contact the people where I am headed and we have
immediate rapport.
When you look at these recordings, what is lost in the transfer to
digital media?
One
thing would be the "trapping" of a moment...when we see something
live our memories can recreate it in all kinds of ways that may or may not be
anything like the original work.
I’m
not so sure what the difference of digital or analog would be but ANY kind of
recording tends to loose much of the living breath, the environmental context,
the invisible emotional and energetic atmosphere....sometimes I am lucky and
these things still magically come through..
What is improved by having your performance recorded?
Certainly
one thing that is better is how many witnesses are able to partake of a bit of
the performance at any given moment. With the film it is possible to dance
anywhere at any time I get an impulse or inspiration and make the offering to a
wider circle for as long as we have internet. Dance is naturally a disappearing
art...film is not. Also, in live
performance situations you need to publicize, call the audience together to a
specific place. This takes a great deal of energy.
Some
other things that can be enhanced through video & film are the framing, the
focus, the crafting of the raw material into an offering of art that can be
repeatedly shared (even packaged and sold as a means to support myself--which I
have yet to do someday). Also, in my case there is usually not music or a
soundtrack that I can manipulate in the moment of the dance. The digital
editing process allows this.
Another
great part of filming is that it makes me accountable for my agreement to do
this every day...some days if it were not for knowing that someone will notice
if I missed a day, I would probably let it slide.
What motions do you most often repeat? Or is repetition something you
endeavor to avoid?
Since
it is not really about "motions" per se I would have to go back and
take a look to see what I did the most. In butoh I do
tend toward simplicity in body movements so the feelings can emerge...standing,
walking, turning, sinking and rising, rolling...jumping....not lots of
"fancy moves" for sure. The
Noh master Zeami wrote: "Feel 10 and show
7." Generally in butoh less movement is more
effective.
That
said, in some daily dance situations my "dancerly"
self and training naturally arise out of the moment...I’m "moved" by
the music in some way that is more "dancey"
and less "butoh."
In Noh dance, certain motions or combinations of movements have specific
meaning. How does Butoh compare to a rigid, defined
dance form such as Noh?
It
is not "readable" like that where a certain move has a certain
meaning, like in Hula or Noh. Far more important is the feeling that the dancer
and witnesses are experiencing.
In a dance, do you hope to translate some meaning or particular
interpretation to viewers?
Not exactly. It is not about expressing anything or telling anything
in particular. However, inside me there is a particular intention, focus of
attention, image, feeling, experience or even a story that is unfolding. I am
far more concerned with being true to that and not with whether the audience
"understands." I am always curious though about what they do feel,
remember and "get" from any given performance that I offer.
How do you prepare for a performance?
The
most important preparation is the process of practicing butoh
daily for many years--as my spiritual practice and means of growth as a human
being. There are many many butoh
exercises for the body, mind and heart that I practice regularly. These have
come from my various teachers or been created by me and are what I now teach in
group and private lessons.
When
it comes to a particular piece or work that I am crafting, I begin with something that
inspires my heart, emotions and soul very deeply and particularly and something
I am curious about but not sure about. An example would be my enthusiasm about
the ocean as the mother of all life. The process of making performance is one
of revelation and discovery always unfolding in surprising ways.
I
play freely with an image, body sensation, emotion or other being/object and
then movement patterns emerge spontaneously. Usually the technical elements
like staging, costume, sound, lights, props, etc. come toward the end of the
process. They grow naturally out of the feelings and images.
I
never start with a "look" I am looking for. I used to do that.
For
the daily dances I am going through my daily life and something suddenly
strikes me as moving and I pop out my camera and hand it to somebody or set it
on the tripod and go for it right there.
My
teacher Kazuo Ohno is known for the coaching:
"Not thinking, only soul." and, although that is very difficult for
any performer, I keep doing my best to prepare in that way.
Who assists you in video recording?
Whoever I can hoodwink into it at the moment. Some folks are much better at it than others and I’m
lucky when I get them to it.
What kind of camera are you using?
I
love my Flip Mino. We have a relationship now and
Flip is my friend. It is so convenient and effective for the daily dance
practice in particular. If anyone is wanting to begin
his/her own daily butoh dance practice then the small
investment for this particular camera is well worth it because of the time and
hassle it saves.
How do you choreograph?
As
I mentioned, the choreography arises spontaneously out of the feelings, images
that I am most curious about and inspired by. It is also informed by the butoh training exercises that I have learned from my
teachers and developed on my own.
In
butoh it is very common to choreograph from an image
or sensation experience held inside. For example, dance a flower in its 3
stages: first day the bud, second day the full blossom, third day the final
bloom before passing. This is an image from Yoshito Ohno that we often repeat in his workshops. There are
countless poetic images like this one that are used again and again to inspire
choreography.
How
do you decide and execute considerations such as lighting and location?
Again,
these blossom naturally out of the core image of the
piece....they become ways to enhance that and bring the butoh
performer into resonance with the core.
Is Butoh spiritual?
For
me it is. For my teacher Kazuo Ohno
as well. It depends how you experience and define spirituality. My
spiritual life and practice is very much about embodiment and the material
world as well as spiritual development that is inherent in living the paradoxes
of being human and having bodies (physical, emotional, psychic, energetic,
cosmic, etc). I also feel the process of making butoh
performances can be a kind of ritualistic initiation.
What role does nature play in your performances?
Most
of the strongest, most inspiring images for the work are nature based--not
human made. The natural environment and all of its myriad beings is fantastic
as a classroom as well. We are surrounded by teachers everywhere. Every element
of nature is a butoh teacher! It is amazing!
Is Butoh a special message that is enjoyed by
only a few people?
I
hope not. I think practicing and witnessing butoh can
benefit anyone. There are some butoh performers who
cultivate a style or enigmatic cult like feeling but I totally do not agree
with this or practice it. My motto is that butoh is a
practice and dance for every PLACE, every DAY with every BODY. That said, to
truly make butoh practice and performance your
PRIMARY life path is a huge commitment and not for everyone.
You travel around the world and perform many dance forms. I imagine some
places, like Japan, are more receptive to spontaneous public dance. Is this
true?
Travel
is very special because it enhances the reality that each moment is very
precious and life is very short. Kazuo Ohno said,
"You are carrying a precious lantern given to you by your ancestors. What
are you going to do with it?"
Japan
was not more receptive--well, it actually is not as much about the receptivity
of the place or people as it is about my own sense of
confidence and freedom. Actually it was much more difficult for me to feel free
to dance spontaneously in Japan than in the states where I am more familiar and
somehow feel I have less at stake. In Japan they "get" butoh more--there is much more sensitivity in the people to
what is happening, especially in public. Thus I feel a need to be far more
sensitive. I can never just "call
it in" or be "off the cuff." Each dance has more of a meaningful
weight to it....the time there is more precious because it is short and rare
for me. Of course this is not really "TRUE" but it is how I feel when
I am there. I did have one painful experience where someone I care for deeply
was upset by one of my dances and it was much harder to repair any hurt
feelings when my Japanese language abilities are limited.
Do you see a correlation between public appreciation of dance and
funding of arts projects?
Hmmm? I’m
not sure about this. I wish that was true but I feel that there are so many
people who appreciate what I do but are not conditioned in this society--that
does not see art as a valuable exchange like medicine or carpentry--to
financially support what feeds their souls. I still have trouble making ends
meet like most of my fellow artists--more than my friends in other professions.
Could video techniques (rapid disjointed cuts and aggressive editing,
for instance) be used to broaden the expression to appeal to a wider audience?
Yes,
but this is only because the conditioning of advertising and pushing certain
stimulating buttons emotionally and sensually is so deeply imbedded in us from
youth.
One of the technical interventions recently has been in CGI and the use
of joint points on animation programs. This has been discussed by some as a way
of accurately retaining the choreography of ballet, Balanchine and other dance
forms. Butoh and related expressive movement
performances come from inner sources and psychological conflict, do you see
video as an instructive recording process? Or does recording dance make
dilution of the original intent? If recording dance dissolves the original importance,
does the recording lead to unfelt imitation by amateurs/others?
It
can lead to those kinds of unfelt imitations, yes. That is unfortunate and due
to lack of education I believe. This is part of the reason I become a kind of butoh "crusader" sometimes. Id rather be the one to introduce someone to butoh
because then they will at least be viewing it with some knowledge of its
intent. In the case of the daily butoh dances I
usually write a short explanation of the intention and inspiration of the
dance. Our primary cultural conditioning is to see the surface of things, to
deaden rather than deepen our feelings, to have quick answers, easy fixes and
adrenaline rushes. In many witnesses this takes over and the deeper meaning is
lost.
All this said, it is
not a reason to stop filming or sharing the work this way. It is just one of
the ways to share though. I feel the fact that more people are becoming aware
of butoh and the connections between dance and daily
life is a great thing and worth any tradeoff that might come in the sharing of
it in this limited form of media.
What expectations do you have for your videos? (Or, if you don’t like
the word “expectations”, what do you hope comes of your Daily Butoh videos?)
yeah, I
have little or no expectations and many hopes....
I
hope they educate about butoh as an art and life
practice, inspire people to feel more, connect more, share more, dance freely
and separate less between dance and daily life. I also hope to be more known as a butoh dance performer and mentor and get more opportunities
for that type of work.
Many dance forms seem to have a short career span, unless one can branch
into choreography, teaching and behind-stage work. Butoh
is a form that has space for older performers, have you reflected on this?
Absolutely
yes!
Maturity
is very essential in butoh...unlike many of the other
"forms" of dance that are about the shape and technique and prowess
of the physique. The soul and its ability to express in a refined and sensitive
way that moves others deeply is something that is more like wine....just
getting better with age. This is great as far as I’m concerned.
Noh
master Zeami wrote: "The essentials of our art
lie in the spirit."
The music accompanying most Butoh group
performances is generally 'experimental', music that sets an industrial psychic
mood. You often use classical and lighter sound effects in your daily
performances. What is the range of 'music' that you would consider? Does the
music come first or later? Which influences the action and the mood?
I
consider a full range of all possible sound accompaniment--whatever
it is though, it must "move" me in some way. I want to care about
it...not have it be incidental or just fill the space randomly (unless that is
the specific essence I am working with of course). My music choices are mostly
inspired by my experience with the Ohnos and their
music and way of integrating it with workshops and performances. They use the
same kind of music that I do--chosen very specifically for each piece to
enhance the meaning and atmosphere for the artist and audience. Rarely will
they use the "typical butoh music" for
anything. I know that there is a "style" of music that is considered
to be "butoh-ish." I think that style works
for many people because it is intense but non-specific in timing and essence so
it allows the dancers and witnesses to freely interpret the performance and the
connections between dance and sound--it is like a live energy field to draw
general juice from for action.
When
I craft works, usually the image and the dance come first and then the music
(if used) is chosen to enhance that mood/essence. It is a question of what
specifically resonates with my soul, my body and the essence of the piece.
With
the daily dances there is also the simple technical fact of making rapid
choices from the music I have in my collection that most closely match the
timing and essence of the dance and film as I have edited it. I need to spend
no more than an hour each day on these...often I go over that and the rest of
my work that day falls by the wayside. It is a delicate balance to keep day to
day.
Butoh and related expressive media often is deadly
serious. Much of your Daily Butoh is light and
diverting and amusing, yet poignant, almost Chaplinesque.
Is this nature or nurture for you personally?
I
think it is both. It is my inborn soulful essence and also one common way I
have of coping with life's pain and intensity--through humor, lightness,
gratitude, wonder, amazement, childlike play and the like. Others cope by
getting super serious and dramatic, even gothic about suffering, obsessions and
such.
Do you take humor seriously and spend time thinking up vignettes, or is
the humor and light touch just what comes out of you in every movement and
moment?
I
never think up the humorous stuff in the daily dances before hand...it just
spontaneously "pops out" that way in the moment. However, I am also
an actor and director of theater. So crafting humorous "bits" is not
totally foreign to me although it is not my strongest suit. For a change, this
week my good friend Anna Dixon and I wrote our first collaborative song and
dance number about our mutual friend Jason Webley and
his upcoming eleventh anniversary as a singer, songwriter, performer
guy. We will be performing it at his concert in Seattle on Friday July
3---there's supposed to be about 1000 people there. I hope it will be humorous
for them as it has been for us as while we have been practicing it all before
hand.
What is entailed in a Butoh workshop?
A series of practices to hone, enhance and expand
one's butoh practice (or any dance, creative or
spiritual practice) and performances. These engage all levels of being: physical, emotional, imagination,
energetic, perceptive, creative and community
interactions. The intention is to get a tool kit of sorts for ones butoh and life practices.
Can you give us a mini-lesson in how to incorporate Butoh
in our lives?
Here's
an exercise to try...let me know how it was for you
(info at maureenfreehill.net).
When
you see something--especially in nature-- that is particularly moving,
inspiring, striking to you in some way....stop, become still, breathe deeply
and gaze with innocent perception upon it. Take a moment to exchange presence
and energy with that other being. Imagine you are seeing and being seen by it
simultaneously. Then, absorb its essence and feel what it is like to reflect
and reveal that other through your flesh and body. If you could dance for and
with it, what sort of dance would be most pleasing.
Allow yourself to be true, feel deeply and dance
freely, Close with a grateful dedication of the energy exchanged.
The Butoh group Danse
Perdue (Alex Ruhe and Vanessa Skantze)
is quite severe and an example of how some Butoh is
almost unbearably sinister. You have quite another interpretation. What ways
can Butoh be expanded?
Infinitely---
butoh can be expanded infinitely. It is only
essential that it remain true to ones unique, authentic and essential body and
soul and not be about showing a style or technique or anything for that matter.
This is quite tricky. I am not really at all interested in making a "good
show" with butoh as I am with evoking deep
feeling and transformation in all the witness participants at a
performance--myself included. Personally I seem to prefer to invoke feelings of
expansion, light, grace, gratitude, humor, reverence, beauty, peace,
vulnerability, connection, inspiration, play and the like. This does not mean I
will not and have not had my own "sinister" performances...I actually
embodied Ereshkigal, the Sumerian Goddess Queen of
the Underworld, not so long ago and it was one of the most profound and
effective performances I have ever done....albeit very painful and difficult to
integrate into my daily life.
Does Butoh have limits of expression?
Not
sure I understand this question.
What do you think the intentions of Butoh
should be?
I
guess I have a "should" feeling about this in a way---certainly
personal preferences and intentions for:
--Transformation,
awakening and expanding consciousness.
--Creating
and sharing connection and beauty among humans and all beings.
--Profound
human feeling and experience.
--Exploring
beyond the usual bounds and experiences of social conditioning and the known.
--Revealing
the unseen.
--Revelation
of the soul through the flesh.
--Honoring
and connecting with ancestors and descendents...
--Blossoming my true and unique flower....and offering it freely and generously.
There
are more too...these are the basics.
Butoh moves into the public, and is an unusual artform
in that aspect. It is not traditional street busking,
but a fleeting, passing episode. There is a public versus private aspect of the
performance: formal stagecraft against public vignettes and interludes. Some of
these public Butoh presentations are so moving in the
context - shifting the spectator out of the ordinariness of the everyday. Can
you speak to how a dancer such as your self can walk into a situation and shift
the reality to make any passersby connect and view or feel life in a different
way? How do people react when you begin Butoh in
their perceived space?
There
are so many ways people react. I have experienced a vast range... the most
common is pretending I do not exist, next most common is curiosity and delight.
Have you ever gotten in trouble for a public performance?
Well,
on the WA state ferry one time they called in on walkie
talkies to take care of the crazy lady dancing with her luggage...I was
complete before they could "get me" though. :-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uqb5y4Oza1Y
One
veteran wrote to say he felt my dancing in the Veteran's graveyard on Memorial
Day was disrespectful.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QT8qT804hk8
I
replied that it was the best way I knew to pay my respects and offer my
gratitude.
Also,
I did get scolded by an official looking guy who was lowering a Japanese flag
in Shinjuku, Tokyo when I danced in a public square there. You can see that at
the end of the Shinjuku Wind 6/15 dance. I also got in a bit of trouble dancing
freely in a private situation one time. It is not too common--usually I am
ignored.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IlZR8XdBV8
How do you feel about using Butoh to express a
political belief?
I'm
not so into USING butoh for anything myself...yet all art is political really. I certainly feel
mine is....simply by the nature of acting freely in public.
What changes when you join a group for a collaborative performance? How
is it organized, choreographed, rehearsed?
There
are many different ways to.
Unfortunately,
I do not have time to go into that in detail here and now. If anyone is curious
about this or any of the short answers I had to give because of time pressure,
please contact me with further inquiries at the address listed at the end.
How do you compare what you do to other dance experiences such as the
background hip hop derived dancing of most music videos?
It
is coming from a totally different source, for a totally different intention.
If my dances stimulate or entertain it is a by-product. The hip hop type dances
have that as their primary intent I believe.
What emotions, stories and/or ideas do you hope to express through
dance?
Love,
compassion, awakening, confidence, playfulness, freedom, paradox, balance,
transformation, surrender, vulnerability, connection, ecstasy, preciousness of
life, beauty, silence, peace, truth, infinite space...and oh, so much more.
Tell us about Rice Planting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1IF4RUj85s
Butoh
performer Tanaka Min started an organic farm in Hakshu
Japan where he and the members combines farming and butoh practices. It is commonly referred to as "Body
Weather Farm." He invites gatherings, convenes workshops and performances
that unite the agricultural connection with the earth as it relates to the
human body and flesh. He has directed the building of a number of beautiful
outdoor stages on the land and there are performances and residential workshops
there regularly. This year he began a cycle of 4 events, each one focused on
one of four elements. This rice planting event/dance was part of the first of
the series...called SOIL. The next three will concern
AIR, WATER and FIRE. It was a such a special
experience to plant rice with the community. It was very early in the morning
after a stunning butoh ritual and Taiko performance
by Min and two drummers in the field we were about to plant. (I was requested
not to film that part). There are very few people who still plant rice by hand,
or even know how. There were town elders with us to teach us that morning. This
is just a few precious minutes of hours of amazing footage from this 3 day
event. I intend to return in October for
the WATER event as well.