Activity Report #3 of “Danstereportation

Interview with Teita Iwabuchi
(Interviewer: Kota Yamazaki)

Kota Yamazaki’s project “Dance Teleportation,” based on the concept of “dialogue,” is underway.
Ms. Yamazaki and 11 performers are literally groping their way through the creative process under the new coronavirus epidemic.

Basically, a choreographer and a dancer create a work by sharing a place and time. Now that this is no longer possible, how can a choreographer establish a relationship with a dancer to create a work? We have named this challenge “Dance Teleportation” in the sense of exploring a way of dancing that transcends place and time.”
(Excerpted from Kota Yamazaki, “Danstereportation,” Statements.)

The creation process begins with Ms. Yamazaki interviewing each performer via videoconference. Next, Ms. Yamazaki sends the performers words inspired by the interviews. The performers then respond to Ms. Yamazaki by using the words as the starting point for their creations.

In this issue, we present an interview with Teita Iwabuchi.
They engaged in an intense discussion about dance, ranging from their thoughts on their current situation to their martial arts-inspired view of the body.
(Text and editing by Taku Yoshida)

standing form of “mountain” character

How did you start dancing, Mr. Iwabuchi?

depths of the rocks

When I was a university student aspiring to become an actor, I took rhythmic and other classes and became interested in physical expression. Tatsuya Kusuhara, a senior student at the university and a choreographer, told me that “contemporary dance is interesting,” and I began going to dance performances and participating in workshops. The first workshop I attended was at Kazuo Ohno’s Butoh Institute, which I attended for about three months. After that, I participated in intensive workshops at Dairakudakan.

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Tell us how you came to create your own creations.

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When I was 25 years old, I was a member of “Kim Ito + Shining Future,” and a group of dancers I met there decided to rent a theater and put on a dance showcase performance, where I presented my first piece. I had not originally thought of creating my own work, but I was given the opportunity to present my work after that, and I have continued to create.

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When did you start participating in Ko Murobushi’s works?

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It was the period after I created my first piece on my own. I started auditioning and performing in productions. Participating in Mr. Murobushi’s work was fulfilling, as if I was touching the “core” of my dancing. I was probably influenced by him. That is why, at that time, I was creating while thinking that I did not want to include “elements of Mr. Murobushi” in my own works. However, with the sudden passing of Mr. Murobushi, it would be a shame to lose such “manifestations of philosophy through the body,” and I could not pretend that it had never happened. I want to confront this issue once and for all. With these thoughts in mind, I have been thinking about “butoh” again for the past few years.

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What are your thoughts on the new coronavirus in the midst of the epidemic?

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I am not confident that I can communicate well in these forums, but…. I am not thinking of taking the initiative to take action right now. I am enjoying watching videos distributed by various people.
Of course, I do not think that it is okay for theaters to disappear or for audiences to decrease, but as an artist, I do not feel that dance will be destroyed if we do not act now. Dance and other forms of artistic expression have lived through the history of mankind without ever ceasing. For my part, I would like to take this opportunity to rethink “why we dance” and “what power does dance have? On that basis, I would like to dance, believing in the fundamental power of dance.
I would like to ask you, Kota, do you think that only so-called “dance-like movements” are “dance”? I am interested in Zen and martial arts, and in those worlds, daily movements such as walking, sitting, sleeping, and waking up are also considered as part of training. I would also like to consider the daily movements and actions to “dance-like movements” as a continuous “dance”.

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I totally agree with you. The class I am taking at the university next semester will be titled “Non-Stop Moving” and will focus on the theme of constant dancing. I believe that if we discover dance in our daily lives, we can live more abundantly, and I am exploring such an approach.

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Sounds interesting. Currently, many dance artists are experimenting with various ways to dance, such as dancing in the house. I think this situation is an opportunity to rethink what is “dance”.

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Please tell us about your creative process. Where do you begin your creative process?

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I define a certain concept, and within that concept, I create a mix of “what I can do” and “my interests”.
Last year, I attended a workshop by Hidetoshi Mitsuoka (a martial arts and bujutsu researcher), and one of his words left a deep impression on me. He said, “The only kata in bujutsu are those of those who fought and survived. They contain the experiences of our predecessors through their bodies. Therefore, when you move a certain kata, you are not moving only yourself, but you are moving together with the experiences of your predecessors. The layer of the individual contains each person’s life, the layer of culture contains the culture nurtured by mankind in each region, and the layer of living things contains the history of evolution. This is the content of the story.
How can we hook up these wide and deep experiences and histories hidden in the body of an individual? This is the concept behind a dance piece titled “Gold Experience” that we are currently working on. A work-in-progress performance was held in February of this year, and the main performance is scheduled for November.

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I feel that Mr. Iwabuchi is accumulating more and more richness inside his body. I look forward to seeing what kind of works you will create in the future.
Let me do some research from here. What is your favorite color?

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Is it red or yellow these days? I used to like green. The clothes I can safely buy are gray and blue.

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You are wearing a red sweatshirt today.
What is your favorite food?

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I like “flour products” such as okonomiyaki, dumplings, and cookies.

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Finally, an experiment. Close your eyes and touch your cheek with your finger. Then, tell me what words you imagine from your memory of the touch. I will think about it as I watch.

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(Thinking a little) “Ocean, sandy beach, foam.

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It’s nice. I was “the futon flew into the sky”.
We had a stimulating conversation today. Thank you very much. I will send you later words spelled out inspired by this interview. Please give me your reactions in any format, such as movement or text.

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Thank you very much. We look forward to seeing you soon.

How was your interview with Mr. Iwabuchi?
What kind of words and reactions to them will emerge from this?
The next partner will be Ayaka Ono.
Please continue to enjoy the dialogue between the dancers.

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