Jacky in Japan – 24/4/2010
I have been a guest in Japan for 5 weeks now, and have felt, nearly all the time, very welcome. It is a very different world – and I think that my partner, Fergus Early, and I will over 6 weeks have had a remarkable experience of Japan as visitors. Our research strands have given the visit a particular edge, and the careful pre- planning and support we received from individuals and organisations has made the visit possibly amongst the most unique by Europeans in post war times.
Unlike many people from the dance community in the UK who are beginning to interact with and become interested in contemporary and community dance practice in Japan, we chose to observe and research the traditional forms of Nihon Buyo, Noh and Kyogen Theatre, Kabuki and Bunnaku Puppet Theatre. We also managed to see Ninagawa’s Henry 1V in Tokyo at The Sataima Theatre where he is based. He is a revered theatre director who has worked internationally including at the National Theatre UK and with the RSC, and is a fine example of an experienced contemporary Japanese theatre director who has used his cultural heritage towards his own form and approach and taken it into a wide repertoire of plays. It was very interesting to witness the way in which the actors were so integrated vocally and physically as though they had all studied Kabuki and Nihon Buyo from the age of 7 – which is the tradition (probably some of them had). All the forms of performance we have seen integrate dance, song, recitation, acting, character, and storytelling, even on the most basic community level. They all too reflect and inspire the traditional visual arts of screen painting, pottery, sculpture, landscape gardening and painting. The exactness of form, use of space, harmony with nature and a heightened sense of arrangement is present in all forms of traditional theatre that we have seen. They are all based on traditions and techniques handed down through families over centuries, and, apart from the Miyako Odori dancers, they are all men. The tradition of men playing women is very old and an interesting part of Japanese culture which holds fast today and probably has an interesting influence on the Japanese male psyche.
Butoh is a breakaway form which is now about the same age as western contemporary dance, about 60 years old, and seems to be highly respected. There are different forms of Butoh both improvised and choreographed. We will be interviewing the great Yoshito Ohno next week and look forward to understanding more about Butoh and these different schools. From what I have seen and participated in I can identify a definite continuing influence from traditional forms – and to the male legacy from Father to Son – such as Kazuo Ohno, a pioneer of Butoh to Yoshito. Our Nihon Buyo teacher with whom we had a private lesson didn’t like Butoh and felt that all the new young contemporary dancers and companies were simply expressing their feelings and trying to liberate themselves from old traditions (doesn’t sound necessarily bad; we certainly had to go through a similar phase in Europe, although it is irritating when it is presented as developed work and over marketed). She was immersed in the discipline of Nihon Buyo which she studied since she was 7, and was a beautiful performer; it is part of Kabuki and she studied with her Father who is from one of the great Kabuki families. She had been inspired by the Russian ballerina Plitsetskaya performing The Dying Swan, originally created by Pavlova - and created her own Dying Swan solo with fans as feathers which she performed for us in her small studio – it was stunning and very moving.
People bow a lot, it is polite; they don’t shake hands; only people who have travelled and know that shaking hands is our way. Hugs are a different matter. Only when you know someone well or have got on particularly well – then a hug is a friendly gesture. Gender issues are tricky. As far as we can tell the professional women we have met are all single. There are women like me who are devoted to their professions as teachers, producers, community arts practitioners (I haven’t met any choreographers or theatre directors ) but it does not seem, as yet, (of course exceptions) that it is possible to find male partners who can support them as equals. I predict that as more Japanese women are trained both at home and abroad - we met several young women who were doing a degree in dance in the UK - there will be a growing statistic of single professional women. I hope we modelled something different – that a man and a woman can both be passionate about their professions and share domestic responsibility. But as I write this I am not sure it is that common in the UK either.
One of our most memorable experiences will be our visit to Hiroshima. The Memorial Peace Park is beautiful, it is on a small island between 2 rivers in the middle of Hiroshima – the island was used as the target on that day the 6th August 1945. A few bits of building, incredibly, survived the blast near the epicentre, and one of these buildings has been preserved as a lasting memory. The peace park is serene with a constant flow of visitors paying their respects from all over Japan and abroad. At its centre is the eternal flame carried from the island of Miyajima, where we spent several days. The flame is built into a bridge like sculpture under which water flows; in front of this structure leading forward towards the memorial museum is a sculpted arch which protects the cenotaph – which holds the names of all the victims of the bomb. The before and after images are terrible – but what one sees are people literally back on their bikes in a landscape of nothing. The strength the Japanese people demonstrated in the aftermath of the war, rebuilding their lives and their cities is very moving and extraordinary. Hiroshima has become a symbol of peace and the various Mayors of the city have continued since the war to send telegrams of regret and criticism to the governments of any country that undertakes a nuclear test. In a strange way the experience was very inspiring and has certainly rekindled my desire to get more active in the fight against nuclear weapons.
I have learnt a little Japanese enough to break through and connect – Konnichiwa and Konbanwa etc. The hot spring baths are wonderful – large tubs which one shares with same sex, sometimes mixed. Washing is an art form. One is required to wash before entering the hot spring bath, and Japanese people wash for a long time. It has been a remarkable visit in so many ways on both the small and large picture. As I have said - as a guest I have felt very welcome, although very different – sitting constantly on the floor has been very good for me – we will have to see what lingers in the context of one’s home life. Artistically it will be peculating for a long time.
I have been a guest in Japan for 5 weeks now, and have felt, nearly all the time, very welcome. It is a very different world – and I think that my partner, Fergus Early, and I will over 6 weeks have had a remarkable experience of Japan as visitors. Our research strands have given the visit a particular edge, and the careful pre- planning and support we received from individuals and organisations has made the visit possibly amongst the most unique by Europeans in post war times.
Unlike many people from the dance community in the UK who are beginning to interact with and become interested in contemporary and community dance practice in Japan, we chose to observe and research the traditional forms of Nihon Buyo, Noh and Kyogen Theatre, Kabuki and Bunnaku Puppet Theatre. We also managed to see Ninagawa’s Henry 1V in Tokyo at The Sataima Theatre where he is based. He is a revered theatre director who has worked internationally including at the National Theatre UK and with the RSC, and is a fine example of an experienced contemporary Japanese theatre director who has used his cultural heritage towards his own form and approach and taken it into a wide repertoire of plays. It was very interesting to witness the way in which the actors were so integrated vocally and physically as though they had all studied Kabuki and Nihon Buyo from the age of 7 – which is the tradition (probably some of them had). All the forms of performance we have seen integrate dance, song, recitation, acting, character, and storytelling, even on the most basic community level. They all too reflect and inspire the traditional visual arts of screen painting, pottery, sculpture, landscape gardening and painting. The exactness of form, use of space, harmony with nature and a heightened sense of arrangement is present in all forms of traditional theatre that we have seen. They are all based on traditions and techniques handed down through families over centuries, and, apart from the Miyako Odori dancers, they are all men. The tradition of men playing women is very old and an interesting part of Japanese culture which holds fast today and probably has an interesting influence on the Japanese male psyche.
Butoh is a breakaway form which is now about the same age as western contemporary dance, about 60 years old, and seems to be highly respected. There are different forms of Butoh both improvised and choreographed. We will be interviewing the great Yoshito Ohno next week and look forward to understanding more about Butoh and these different schools. From what I have seen and participated in I can identify a definite continuing influence from traditional forms – and to the male legacy from Father to Son – such as Kazuo Ohno, a pioneer of Butoh to Yoshito. Our Nihon Buyo teacher with whom we had a private lesson didn’t like Butoh and felt that all the new young contemporary dancers and companies were simply expressing their feelings and trying to liberate themselves from old traditions (doesn’t sound necessarily bad; we certainly had to go through a similar phase in Europe, although it is irritating when it is presented as developed work and over marketed). She was immersed in the discipline of Nihon Buyo which she studied since she was 7, and was a beautiful performer; it is part of Kabuki and she studied with her Father who is from one of the great Kabuki families. She had been inspired by the Russian ballerina Plitsetskaya performing The Dying Swan, originally created by Pavlova - and created her own Dying Swan solo with fans as feathers which she performed for us in her small studio – it was stunning and very moving.
People bow a lot, it is polite; they don’t shake hands; only people who have travelled and know that shaking hands is our way. Hugs are a different matter. Only when you know someone well or have got on particularly well – then a hug is a friendly gesture. Gender issues are tricky. As far as we can tell the professional women we have met are all single. There are women like me who are devoted to their professions as teachers, producers, community arts practitioners (I haven’t met any choreographers or theatre directors ) but it does not seem, as yet, (of course exceptions) that it is possible to find male partners who can support them as equals. I predict that as more Japanese women are trained both at home and abroad - we met several young women who were doing a degree in dance in the UK - there will be a growing statistic of single professional women. I hope we modelled something different – that a man and a woman can both be passionate about their professions and share domestic responsibility. But as I write this I am not sure it is that common in the UK either.
One of our most memorable experiences will be our visit to Hiroshima. The Memorial Peace Park is beautiful, it is on a small island between 2 rivers in the middle of Hiroshima – the island was used as the target on that day the 6th August 1945. A few bits of building, incredibly, survived the blast near the epicentre, and one of these buildings has been preserved as a lasting memory. The peace park is serene with a constant flow of visitors paying their respects from all over Japan and abroad. At its centre is the eternal flame carried from the island of Miyajima, where we spent several days. The flame is built into a bridge like sculpture under which water flows; in front of this structure leading forward towards the memorial museum is a sculpted arch which protects the cenotaph – which holds the names of all the victims of the bomb. The before and after images are terrible – but what one sees are people literally back on their bikes in a landscape of nothing. The strength the Japanese people demonstrated in the aftermath of the war, rebuilding their lives and their cities is very moving and extraordinary. Hiroshima has become a symbol of peace and the various Mayors of the city have continued since the war to send telegrams of regret and criticism to the governments of any country that undertakes a nuclear test. In a strange way the experience was very inspiring and has certainly rekindled my desire to get more active in the fight against nuclear weapons.
I have learnt a little Japanese enough to break through and connect – Konnichiwa and Konbanwa etc. The hot spring baths are wonderful – large tubs which one shares with same sex, sometimes mixed. Washing is an art form. One is required to wash before entering the hot spring bath, and Japanese people wash for a long time. It has been a remarkable visit in so many ways on both the small and large picture. As I have said - as a guest I have felt very welcome, although very different – sitting constantly on the floor has been very good for me – we will have to see what lingers in the context of one’s home life. Artistically it will be peculating for a long time.
