from Kazuo Ohno, to choreographic installation Ukiyo Moveable World

"Kazuo Ohno, Hironobu Oikawa and choreographic installation Ukiyo:Moveable World"


Yukihiko YOSHIDA

(at 17th July, "Bravo! A Joyous Send-off for Kazuo
Ohno”, at Bankart Studio NYK in Yokohama, Japan. I participated the ceremony.)

At the 1stJune, Kazuo Ohno passed away at the age of 103 years
old. He is widely known as one of Butoh founders. He started his
carrier as modern dancer and learned modern dance with Baku Ishii and Takaya Eguchi, early Japanese modern dance pioneers. Later, in 1950’s, he met young Tatsumi Hijikata. Thought their activity, they invented the new field, Butoh in dance world.
On 17th July, his farewell ceremony:” Bravo! A Joyous Send-off for Kazuo Ohno” was held in Bankart Studio NYK, at Yokohama. The studio stands in the bay and in the sea, many jerryfish gathered. Many his students, fans, and related people participated in the ceremony.

From 2008-2010, with Prof. Johannes Birringer, I has worked for and produced the new work, choreographic installation, “Ukiyo: Moveable World” as practical research with Virtual Networked Environment:


(C) Ukiyo Lab

Project URL: http://people.brunel.ac.uk/dap/ukiyo.html.
Trailer URL: http://people.brunel.ac.uk/dap/Ukiyo_Sadlerswells_movie.html

This is choreographic installation both in real and virtual world. dancers with sensors and avators performed and interacted. By this research, I proposed one futuristic view of Japanese dance in next coming generation in 2010's. In the work, dancers who learned Butoh in Kazuo Ohno Dance Studio and Maison d’ Artaud by Hironobu Oikawa has worked.
In June, during our stay, we heard the sad news. Prof. Johannes
Birringer shooted the film dedicated to Kazuo Ohno, “Becaming
Leaf". After that, we released the performance on Slovenia (on 8th June , KIBLA Media Art Center, Maribor, Slovenia) and UK(26th November, Lilian Baylis Studio, Sadlers Wells)

One of the most important background of this work is ideas and method by early Butoh founder, Hironobu Oikawa and artists from his studio. Hironobu Oikawa has started his carrier at ballet dancer of Komaki Ballet in Post-war. In 1950’s he studied in France and learned pantomime, Decroux Method.　

At present, The Paris Opera Ballet studies this method.

With reading the book; “Refection” by Jean-Louis Barrault, he insisted to study the relationship between “Antonin Artaud’s method and Ascetic in Esoteric Buddism”. That was the beginning of his method. Nowadays, this method, "Artaud Method" has inspired many artists in various fields. Tatsumi Hijikata, Kazuo Ohno and even Saburo Teshigawara learned with him in past. After his back to Japan, with development of his idea and his metod, he has taught young Hijikata and Ohno. He introduced the field, "performance" into Japan. In 80’s he worked with young Saburo Teshigawara.

Teshigawara learned ballet at beginning under ballerina, Toshiko
Saiga. Under Saiga, he created the first work; “Dance of Fools”
("Ahodance"). Later, he met Oikawa and had worked with him. At that
time, Oikawa had tried to propose dance performance with media. That
was one of the origin of media performance in Japan. Teshigawara
worked in the work; “Floating Cells”(“Fuyusuru Saiboutai”) at 1985. Later, Teshigawara got independent and has flourished as the leading artist of Japanese contemporary dance. ( Hironobu Oikawa, official website: http://www.nona.dti.ne.jp/oik/ , Archive of Oikawa's work on Internet; "After Scorpio, texts and works by Hironobu Oikawa" http://sites.google.com/site/afterscorpio/oikawa-texts


(C) Ukiyo Lab

"Artaud method" by Hironobu Oikawa contains the view by Eastern body knowledge; Qi and the Five Elements Theory. Additionally, Its perspective spreads widely. The method and approach has connected with Immunology and Cognitive Science by the analysis of those knowledge. Prof. Johannes Birringer is known as researcher of
dance and technology worldwide. Additionally, he also published the
book on dance and cognition; "Tanz in Kopf"(Johannes Birringer und
Josephine Fenger eds, "Tanz im Kopf / Dance and Cognition", Jahrbuch
Nr. 15, Gesellschaft für Tanzforschung, Münster: LIT Verlag, 2005,
ISBN 3-8258-8712-x http://people.brunel.ac.uk/dap/cog.html ) The
team adapted Artaud Method to dance performance with 3D virtual
environment. He will organize the forum; Artaud Forum, on 4th and 5th 2011 at Brunel University, UK.


(C) Ukiyo Lab

note: this draft is the original version of my article in Channels.

sample trailer Ukiyo [Moveable World]

The sample trailer of choreographic installation, "Ukiyo Moveable World" has released in the following URL:

Share and Enjoy.

http://people.brunel.ac.uk/dap/Ukiyo_Sadlerswells_movie.html


(C) Ukiyo Lab

The film image of the performance below:
Friday, November 26, 2010
Lilian Baylis Studio
Sadlers Wells, Rosebery Ave, London, EC1R 4TN

Ukiyo [Moveable World]
a choreographic installation fusing dance, sound, design and digital projections
by DAP LAB
directed by Johannes Birringer
with Michèle Danjoux


"Ukiyo" explores the layers of perceptions in an audiovisual world that constantly shifts and fragments. The audience is invited to move in and around the space which features five hanamichi (runways) and several projection screens for the virtual world graphics and animated photography. The dancers and musicians perform simultaneously with digital objects that mutate. Live sound, music and visual choreography for "Ukiyo" are designed for real-time gestural interaction to animate feedback and generative processes through which virtual space and physical performer movements are intertwined.


A European-Japanese collaboration directed by Johannes Birringer, “Ukiyo” is a theatrical installation featuring audiophonic design concepts and wearables by Michèle Danjoux, and choreography by Katsura Isobe, Helenna Ren, Anne-Laure Misme, Yiorgos Bakalos, and Olu Taiwo; choreography on screen by Biyo Kikuchi, Yumi Sagara, Jun Makime, Ruby Rumiko Bessho and Mamen Rivera. Original music composed by Oded Ben-Tal, with live digital sound and sensor processing by Sandy Finlayson. Live music composed and performed by Caroline Wilkins. Photography, video and 3D digital designs by Paul Verity Smith, Doros Polydorou and Johannes Birringer; scenography & lighting by Johannes Birringer. The Second Life graphical interface is designed by Takeshi Kabata and Yukihito Obara. Additional engineering by Eng Tat Khoo (Keio-NUS CUTE Mixed Reality Lab).

This performance by an international ensemble of artists from the London-based DAP-Lab was developed in collaboration with butoh dancers and digital artists in Tokyo, Japan, as part of cross-cultural research into virtual environments( directed by Birringer, director of DAP-Lab, and Center for Digital Performance, Brunel University, School of Arts and coordinated in Japan by Yukihiko Yoshida , Keio University Tokyo).

This project was supported by a grant from The Japan Foundation and The Centre for Contemporary and Digital Performance at Brunel University, West London.

Misa Kuranaga, Boston Ballet

Misa Kuranagara is one of best Japanese ballerinas at present. She is the principal of Boston Ballet. I strongly recommend her performance and I took interview of her.

http://www.danzaballet.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=4013

If you have chance. Please chek out her stages.

DIAGHILEV AND THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE BALLETS ROUSSES

DIAGHILEV AND THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE BALLETS ROUSSES 1909-1929
at The Victoria and Albert Museum, London:


As the last exhibition of Ballet Rousse 100th Anniversary !

The exihibition introuduces great works of Ballet Rousse and its legacy, hence indicates the way to the beginning of ballet in U.K.( British ballet has long tradtion as Japanese one.)

I have worked for thre UK Premiere of Choreographic Installation, "Ukiyo: Moveable World" in London at Sadlers Wells. In my free time, I could saw this exhibition, and write more including the impression of this and my days in London.

Ukiyo [Moveable World], choreographic installation

Ukiyo [Moveable World]

a choreographic installation fusing dance, sound, design and digital projections

by DAP LAB

directed by Johannes Birringer

with Michèle Danjoux

Friday, November 26, 2010 8:oo pm

Lilian Baylis Studio

Sadlers Wells, Rosebery Ave, London, EC1R 4TN

Ticket office: 0844 412 4300

Tickets: £ 12.00 / £ 10.00 limited seating

http://people.brunel.ac.uk/dap/Ukiyo_Sadlerswells.html

http://www.danssansjoux.org

"Ukiyo" explores the layers of perceptions in an audiovisual world that constantly shifts and fragments. The audience is invited to move in and around the space which features five hanamichi (runways) and several projection screens for the virtual world graphics and animated photography. The dancers and musicians perform simultaneously with digital objects that mutate. Live sound, music and visual choreography for "Ukiyo" are designed for real-time gestural interaction to animate feedback and generative processes through which virtual space and physical performer movements are intertwined.

A European-Japanese collaboration directed by Johannes Birringer, “Ukiyo” is a theatrical installation featuring audiophonic design concepts and wearables by Michèle Danjoux, and choreography by Katsura Isobe, Helenna Ren, Anne-Laure Misme, Yiorgos Bakalos, and Olu Taiwo; choreography on screen by Biyo Kikuchi, Yumi Sagara, Jun Makime, Ruby Rumiko Bessho and Mamen Rivera. Original music composed by Oded Ben-Tal, with live digital sound and sensor processing by Sandy Finlayson. Live music composed and performed by Caroline Wilkins. Photography, video and 3D digital designs by Paul Verity Smith, Doros Polydorou and Johannes Birringer; scenography & lighting by Johannes Birringer. The Second Life graphical interface is designed by Takeshi Kabata and Yukihito Obara. Additional engineering by Eng Tat Khoo (Keio-NUS CUTE Mixed Reality Lab).

This performance by an international ensemble of artists from the London-based DAP-Lab was developed in collaboration with butoh dancers and digital artists in Tokyo, Japan, as part of cross-cultural research into virtual environments( directed by Birringer, director of DAP-Lab, and Center for Digital Performance, Brunel University, School of Arts and coordinated in Japan by Yukihiko Yoshida , Keio University Tokyo).

The European première of UKIYO took place in June 2010 at KIBLA Media Art Center, Maribor, Slovenia. This project is supported by a grant from The Japan Foundation and The Centre for Contemporary and Digital Performance at Brunel University, West London.

Dap-lab/dsj