Butoh's inner life
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Butoh is more than a dance. It is a language of the body. Denise Fujiwara tells CHITRA MAHESH how she took up this art.
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HOW difficult is Butoh?
Contemporary dance is hard on the joints. The Bharatanatyam dancers I worked with said so too. Butoh is not so hard on the joints. It is hard on the muscle, but you build a lot of strength. In a way, it is healthier than the other forms I have worked on earlier.
How did you evolve into this form?
One of my great regrets was that I never learnt to speak Japanese. So I wasn't able to communicate directly with my grandparents. When I saw Butoh, I thought it would be possible to learn a language, a Japanese language of the body. In fact I've experienced my heritage from a visceral point of view.
How did you identify your teacher?
She performed at Montreal in an International Dance Festival. I was so moved by the way she created a work that had complexity, sophistication and was aesthetic. It was emotionally moving and also from a woman's point of view.
Why a woman's point of view? Does this dance have gender?
There are more men than women doing Butoh. I had seen the work of many male choreographers. It didn't really resonate very strongly for me. When I saw this woman's work, she was communicating in a way that I had never seen before. Those were the things I saw and wanted to learn.
Why was it predominantly male earlier?
I think it's because the founders were men. It started off with a very male energy and probably attracted men to it. Also it's a very tough life to be an avant-garde artiste in Japan.
How deep have you delved in this art form? Why is it so gripping?
Butoh is holistic. It develops the mind and body. There is wholeness to the work. To do butoh is like being involved in a process. It's not like you learn a technique and stick to it. The essence of Butoh is always changing. And performances keep changing. Entering into Butoh was like entering into a whole new world.
What you do one day can change the next time?
Yes. The crux would be the same. But the quality or some movements might be different. There is some element of improvisation. It should never look exactly the same. That's one of the rules.
How did you take on this form?
My experiences as a Contemporary dancer, an athlete, my ballet training, even my training in improvisation in Western forms of improvisation were not very useful to me. I had to start all over again because the principles of Butoh are diametrically opposed to that of contemporary dance.
How different?
Contemporary dance values filling space, creating lines in space, creating structures, sending energy out to the audience. In Butoh, you may see some of this, but it doesn't really value any of those. Butoh values the inner life of the dance and the dancer.
Would you call Butoh a prayer or a process of meditation?
Not really. It draws the audience into the work, the presence of the dancer and the process of creating. It is not a process of meditation either. It has meditative qualities that one might strive for in meditation. Emptying yourself, being present. The dance causes me to be present. Even though I might be moving and doing all kinds of things. I have to arrive at the moment of the dance. And to do that I have to be very present.
Are the costumes deliberately austere?
The costumes, in general, are humble. Usually made of scraps of fabric and old kimonos, bits of dried weeds, bamboo sticks and paper. In my production, the woman who has lost her son has managed to do a lot with these elements. She has animated them. The cloak is huge rectangle in yellow fabric. But it becomes many other things. And the sticks are strips of bamboo. But they become an extension of her mind. At times an extension of her body or another creature. Butoh is often very innovative with costumes. They can do amazing things with very little.
What about the boat that appears on stage?
That section deals with the mother being able to speak to the spirit of the child before it goes to the Other World. In Japan, there is an annual festival called Obon celebrated in remembrance of the spirit of the ancestors. It is usually in August. At the end, people put candles in paper boats and float them on the river to signify that they are sending the spirits back to the Other World.
Would this dance form look at ornamental things like crowns or maybe colourful stuff?
In Japanese culture, there are two contrasting ideas of beauty. One is Shibui, an elegant and austere idea of beauty. The there is Wabi Febi, beauty in the homely or the broken. Butoh has the Wabi Febi element.
How old is this form?
More than 40 years old.
So it's relatively new?
I think it's new to most of the world. Butoh has not been seen in Chennai before. In a way it's a new experience for the people. For me, it's relatively new because I really became deeply involved in it 10 years ago.
In which part of Japan did it originate?
The hub of Butoh has always been Tokyo. But one of the founders was very connected with nature. Many Butoh choreographers take their work into the countryside. So it's not totally urban.
Is this something you will pursue for a long time?
I hope so. I have so much to learn. Some in the audience here asked in-depth questions about the experience of the dancers who did the workshop in Chennai. They were very interested in the challenges and how the two met. Or didn't. That was actually very informative for me. In India people start learning to dance very early in life. They start by seven or eight.
When did you start learning dance?
I think I was nine or 10. That's when I started ballet. Then I left that for a while and concentrated on sports. I was on the Canadian Gymnastics team. But after I quit, I realised that the thing that I loved about gymnastics was the dance part.
Anything you would like to say about your experience in Chennai?
I had a wonderful, interesting challenging time here. My eyes have been opened. I am still astounded by how you can drive through these streets. The Festival had a whole bunch of students working from Student Concepts and they are amazing to work with. I think that the future of India, judging from these young people I met, looks good!
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