When will we ever learn?
I imagine, many people feel that they cannot casually speak out against discriminatory or judgmental behavior.
When confronting such topics, the first step is to shed off a self-objectifying attitude and ground our positionalities in order to have a voice. This is a traditional approach that we adopt when engaging with various problems. And what we have done here is no exception. We asked each dancer to define their point of reference. In other words, it had to be that person.
At the same time, dancers are replaceable since it is a work of dance. “Masterpieces” have been handed down from generation to generation based on the premise that they are interchangeable. They are built on the premise that “choreography” that is specific to dance is a memory device. In contrast to the previous point, we have to admit that dancers are interchangeable.
When the dance confronts a subject through the asymmetrical act of “choreographing,” can we not move toward a “mode of communication in an asymmetrical relationship” by remembering via the dancer’s body?
This is not a work of protest. I believe we are at a point where we cannot innocently celebrate how protesting can bring positive consequences to society
Remembering our own memories. I am trying to think about this in relation to “choreography” that is specific to dance as I approach the creative process.
Haruto Niwa
Direction / Choreography: Ryu Suzuki (Dance Base Yokohama)
Performance: Rinako Iida, Mariko Kakizaki, Ryu Suzuki, Satoshi Nakagawa／Ikuma Murakami（Double casting）
Music: The Velvet Underground, Neil Young, David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger
Lighting Design: Masakazu Ito (RYU)
Sound Design: Norimasa Ushikawa
Costume: Shinya Watanabe
［Premiere］Dramaturgy: Haruto Niwa (Dance Base Yokohama) Understudy: Kinui Oiwa (DaBY Resident Dancer)
Producer: Eri Karatsu (Aichi Prefectural Art Theater / Dance Base Yokohama)
Production Manager: Yoshinori Sekoguchi (Aichi Prefectural Art Theater)
Administrator: Nozomi Tanaka (Dance Base Yokohama)
Premiere: December 2021 (Aichi Prefectural Art Theater) *As part of “Ryu Suzuki Triple Bill”
Planned, Produced, and Organized by Dance Base Yokohama
◆PERFORMANCE
2022 Performing Arts Selection 2022
・October Matsumoto Performing Arts Centre, Experimental Theater（Nagano）
・October RYUTOPIA Niigata City Performing Arts Center, Theater（Niigata）
・November Kichijoji Theatre（Tokyo）
・November Kumamoto Prefectural Theater, Theater（Kumamoto）
2021 DaBY Performing Arts Selection ／December KAAT Kanagawa Arts Theatre, Large studio（Kanagawa）
2021 Ryu Suzuki Triple Bill ／October Aichi Prefectural Art Theater, Mini Theater（Aichi）*Premiere
◆REVIEW
Mitsutane Ota （DaBY Performing Arts Selection 2021）
