TAMA”
Ryu Suzuki

The physicality and rhythm of kendama, which I have been familiar with since childhood, are deeply etched in my body.

There is a basic kendama technique called “moshikome. This simple yet repetitive technique leads players to a trance-like state. In kendama dan examinations, players are required to continue this basic movement several hundred or even a thousand times. In this hypnotic repetition, I gradually feel as if I am melting away. As I lose myself in the immersive sensation of this endless movement, I feel my outline blurring.

The title of the work, “TAMA,” was inspired by the word “tama,” but at the same time, it evokes the idea of “soul” or “spirit. For me, playing kendama is a ritualistic act of trying to capture the state of my own “Tama,” which is similar to facing a mirror. By facing the “I” reflected in the mirror, I descend into the mirror.

This work is a self-portrait attempt to expose the ambiguity of the “I” framework that is revealed by dismantling the physicality and musicality of kendama, and to look at the gaps that arise in our self-awareness.

Credit

Direction, choreography, and performance: Ryu Suzuki
Performed by: Yu Okamoto
Music: Fumiya OTONASHI,Machilus thunbergii (species of laurel)
Costume: Kako Fujitani
Research assistance: Yuko Uematsu,Nana Horikawa
Producer: Eri Karatsu ( Aichi Prefectural Art Theater/Dance Base Yokohama)
Technical Director: Yoshinori Sekoguchi ( Aichi Prefectural Art Theater)
Stage Manager: Daijiro Kawakami (Skelabo)
Assistant Stage Manager: Aiko Oguro
Lighting Design: Akiyo Kushida
Sound Design: Raku Nakahara

Premiere: November 2024 ( Aichi Prefectural Art Theater)* at “Time in Between

Planning and production: Dance Base Yokohama [SEGA SAMMY Foundation for Arts and Culture]
Co-production: Dance Base Yokohama [SEGA SAMMY Foundation for Arts and Culture], Aichi Prefectural Art Theater[Aichi Arts Foundation].
Grant from: Fund for Strengthening Infrastructure for Cultural and Artistic Activities (Support Program for Fostering Creators and Cultural Facilities with High Added Value)