Saturday, October 01, 2005
Thank you Jesus!
So, I just went to the doctor, and had my blood blister successfully removed. Now I have a bunch of healthy pink skin, that is significantly less painful. And! He gave me a tetanus shot for good measure. I'm going to have a relaxing weekend, and stay off my feet.
Yesterday, some of the cast went out for a beer, and of course, we ended up talking shop. Butoh, it appears, has never been that popular in Japan. However, I'm thinking that Germany might be another option. Barbara mentioned some teachers who she really respects, so that's exciting. Natsu Nakajima is still Japan-based, but I don't know if she's teaching any longer. There's also someone else whose name I forget Yumiko something, and she's based in Germany. If I went to Germany and then ended up meeting Pina Bausch, well, so be it. Heh.
The other thing that came out of the conversation last night was that people like Hijikata and Graham didn't set out to "DO" something. Graham just said "I choreograph because no one else is producing the type of dance that I want to perform". Hijikata was the same, and in the process they built revolutionary art-forms. This is very exciting to me, and also makes me realise that I'm still a very young artist. Working with Barbara and Jay, and (please keep your fingers crossed!) maybe working with Allyson McMackon when I get back to Toronto, I am working with people who are producing the type of art in which I want to perform. But in addition to working with these people, the conversation of last night made me curious about what it is that I want to do as a performance artist. What is the type of work that I want to do? And "relevant physical theatre" is not specific enough an answer. It's making me reasses what I'm doing. I still think I'm on the right path, but I'm honing the questions I'm asking.
The other thing that came out of the conversation was a questioning of one-man shows. That is, what is the relevance of your art if you are the only person who can do it? It makes me think of Erika Batdorf and Peter Chin as prime examples. They are the only people who can do what they do. It's completely unique. Which is not a negative. However, the question is, what does their work contribute to the state of the art, other than the excitement that an audience derives from complete individuality? I'm not convinced that that is a bad thing, but is it transformative for the art as well as the audience? I'm not sure. All these questions. It also makes me want to re-evaluate the Catullus piece. Maybe it's not a one person show after all. We'll see. I'll keep you updated on this.
Yesterday, some of the cast went out for a beer, and of course, we ended up talking shop. Butoh, it appears, has never been that popular in Japan. However, I'm thinking that Germany might be another option. Barbara mentioned some teachers who she really respects, so that's exciting. Natsu Nakajima is still Japan-based, but I don't know if she's teaching any longer. There's also someone else whose name I forget Yumiko something, and she's based in Germany. If I went to Germany and then ended up meeting Pina Bausch, well, so be it. Heh.
The other thing that came out of the conversation last night was that people like Hijikata and Graham didn't set out to "DO" something. Graham just said "I choreograph because no one else is producing the type of dance that I want to perform". Hijikata was the same, and in the process they built revolutionary art-forms. This is very exciting to me, and also makes me realise that I'm still a very young artist. Working with Barbara and Jay, and (please keep your fingers crossed!) maybe working with Allyson McMackon when I get back to Toronto, I am working with people who are producing the type of art in which I want to perform. But in addition to working with these people, the conversation of last night made me curious about what it is that I want to do as a performance artist. What is the type of work that I want to do? And "relevant physical theatre" is not specific enough an answer. It's making me reasses what I'm doing. I still think I'm on the right path, but I'm honing the questions I'm asking.
The other thing that came out of the conversation was a questioning of one-man shows. That is, what is the relevance of your art if you are the only person who can do it? It makes me think of Erika Batdorf and Peter Chin as prime examples. They are the only people who can do what they do. It's completely unique. Which is not a negative. However, the question is, what does their work contribute to the state of the art, other than the excitement that an audience derives from complete individuality? I'm not convinced that that is a bad thing, but is it transformative for the art as well as the audience? I'm not sure. All these questions. It also makes me want to re-evaluate the Catullus piece. Maybe it's not a one person show after all. We'll see. I'll keep you updated on this.
// posted by MSR @ 4:05 PM 
