2006 Atsushi Takenouchi Nature-side JINEN Butoh Workshop in Yakushima Island
--- Dance the Evolution of Life ---
The Big Bang was the beginning of the evolution of the universe. Since then, galaxies,
the solar system, the moon and the earth were created; then the fire and rain,
rocks and water were formed; then organic constituents were born... and finally
the vital activities started. The organisms started to move by themselves, to
breed, and to try to preserve their species.
The organisms diversified: unicellular to multi-cellular, photosynthesis allowed
a variety of plants, predation spawned a variety of animals. When we use the word
"evolution", it generally indicates the evolution of life forms. However,
if we are aware of this long journey, it is not too much to say that the Big Bang
was already the beginning of the evolution.
Now that it is becoming more common to think of galaxies, the sun and the earth
as a part of the vast life phenomenon. The fire, water, and rocks that are in
them are also, in a broad sense, life forms and parts of the lives in the evolutional
flow. Then we can also say that stars, materials, and lives are all parts of this
flow and they all originate from one life.
Through the unimaginably long conversation with the environment, some sand turned
into stone and chose to be stone; oxygen and hydrogen chose to connect and turned
into water; and in the cycle of the water from ocean to cloud, from cloud to rain,
from rain to river, most of the water chose to stay being some forms of water
without turning into other substances. In the same way, some amoebas chose to
be insects, some trees, and some mammals and humans.
No life form is the top of evolution. We can speculate that all materials and
life forms have been conversing with the environment around them, repeating evolution
to the point where they reached the form they are now.
If so, we can say that all lives including all substances originated from one
source, repeated evolution, chose their own form of existence, and ultimately
became the current form. There is no hierarchy. Everything is connected with each
other by invisible strings and every life is a part of the vast flow of lives.
As an example of the conversation with the environment, when something lives in
the rapidly flowing water, it may need to develop webs between toes.
On Yakushima Island, there are amazing varieties of life environments.
Among them, various lives are still continuing to evolve.
We dance to express the evolution of lives in those various environments.
The performance will evolve our dance, our body and our ideas of lives.
Atsushi Takenouchi
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Dates: February 21 (Tue) - February 25 (Sat)
The workshop will be a half-day on the first and the last days
During this term, we will dance in the nature environment of this Yaku island.
We will meet and explore our inner body with dancing with the ancient cedar trees
forest, rivers, waterfalls, sea waves, forest animals and insects through Butoh
movements.
The Workshop: The workshop will be taught by Atsushi Takenouchi, with an
emphasis on individual movement and counsciousness during the workshop. The workshop
demonstrates simple and primitive ways of communication exploring transformitive
states of the body. Atsushi teaches dancers how to connect to their organic history,
guiding participants through genetic memories and allowing them to teach themselves
the dance of their molecular ancestry (the dance of the amoeba, of the wind, of
the tree, of the animal, of the stone etc.) His teaching start with the breath
and first movements of life, and leads to universal interconnected awareness by
focusing on dancing in the now, at your threshold. There will be morning and afternoon
classes, improvisation sessions and exploration in the nature of Yaku island.
Inside space and outside : at the beach, forests, mountain side, river, waterfalls,
etc.
Natural sound and musical support: Hiroko Komiya
Maximum enrollment: 15
Email: yaku@office-manatsu.com
Fax: 0997-47-2397
Mail: Nature Guide Office Manatsu Ltd.
Koidomari, Kojima
Yaku-cho, Kumage-gun
Kagoshima, Japan 889-4405
Tel & Fax: 0997-47-2397
Preparation !!
Please be ready to dance and work outdoor, and cold temperature, we may have wind,
and rain depends on the weather. Better to bring the rain jacket, and sweater,
strong shoes or sneakers for dancing in the nature.
* general informaiton *
Yaku-shima Island, lying on the sea to the south Point in the southern part of
Kagoshima, is, because of its abundant nature, designated as a world heritage
natural property for the first time in Japan. Seventy-five percent of the whole
area of the island is mountainous. With Mt. Miyano-ura-dake, the tallest in Kyushu,
in the middle surrounded by lots of mountains more than 1,500 meters high, the
island is also called the Alps on the ocean. Going up from around the coast to
the mountaintop, with the height increases, the climate changes from that of a
subtropical zone to that of a sub-arctic zone, and the plant systems change in
the same way, as if nature in the Japanese Archipelago were condensed. With much
rainfall throughout the year, the island is covered with deep green forests, including
more than 1,000-year-old Yaku cedars, and produces a mysterious atmosphere. There
are beautiful gorges and primeval forests, Yaku Cedar woods, and beach.
Getting there :
Kagoshima Airport is 1 hour 40 minutes from Tokyo Haneda Airport, and 1 hour 10
minutes from Osaka Itami Airport. Yaku-shima Airport is 40 minutes from Kagoshima
Airport. Yaku-shima Nishino-ura Port is 2 hours 40 minutes from Kagoshima-hon-ko
Port by the Kagoshima- Shosen jetfoil.
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Atsushi Takenouchi
1980, Takenouchi joined a Butoh dance company, "Hoppoh Butoh".
His performance "Takazashiki" was choreographed by Butoh founder Tatsumi
Hijikata.
1986, Opened "Atelier Dance with Nature" for the purpose or returning
to the source of "JINEN"
1999-2000 Performed JINEN Butoh "The Sun and the Moon" across 12 countries
in Europe and Asia. During this trip, he also recorded videos and gave workshops.
Based on his experiences, he established the "Basis of JINEN Butoh"
as infinite varieties of sentiments and movements which are born from within people
through the connection with situations and the environment.
He also took it as a universal body language and collaborated with artists from
various countries. He also created and presented group and solo performances in
different countries, mainly in Europe.
In 2002, he was awarded an Art Fellowship from the Japanese Art Agency for Cultural
Affairs, and in 2004 from the Japan Foundation. In 2004, he has created collaboration
works on the basis of the workshops in Poland, France and USA.
In 2005, presented group performance in Paris, Warsaw/Poland, Florence/Italy.
And he presented his solo performance "Stone" at Theatre Golvine in
Avignon. And choreograph a Butoh procession with 20 dancers through Avignon city
in the festival.
Group performances: '00 "Breathing Heritage", '03 "KOE", "Crying
Evolution", '04 "GEN", '05 "Gli uccelli feriti, guardando
il cielo"
Solo
Performances: '95 "ITTEKI", '00 "STONE", '02 "TENMON", '03 "GEKKAI", '04
"Emotion Seed", '05 "KI ZA MU"Atsushi Takenouchi website