Even though I could just rewrite a biography, or simply go through her plays or nature of her relations with artistic and political figures, I have decided to go beyond facts and focus on Mary Wigman's teachings and legacy. There are countless lessons we can learn from her life and struggle, but I think it is essential to revisit them from a more contemporary point of view. That is to say: despite the fact that we tend to appreciate these avant-garde movements from the first half of the twentieth century, and regard them as "revolutionary", I personally think there are aspects we sort of take for granted. Having grown up "in the future", we tend to see these currents as a part of History, necessary to develop further lines of expression. However, we somehow detach ourselves from the deep philosophy lying beneath these revolutionary movements, circumscribing them to relevant portions of the past. In this article, it is my aim to bring Mary Wigman's lessons to the present, proving that revolutions are timeless and everlasting.
I first met Ken Mai in Buenos Aires, in April 2013. Two apparently opposite traits called my attention at first: his simplicity and his extravagance. Even though they might seem incompatible, in Ken's persona they represent the same expression of the self. His trendy / rock starish / eclectic look is not simply a fashion statement; in fact, it is not superficial at all: it expresses his inherent gift of having become an alchemist, of being able to merge his different faces, influences and passions without forcing them to fit. So has been his life: a continuous flow of desires which have led him to find his inner truth through the combination of different cultures, perspectives and disciplines: "I wanted to be a monk but then I decided to be a dancer. I practised Zen at a Monastery and temples, both in Kyoto and Nara for about 16 years, not everyday but sometimes, especially in my local temple which was very close to my house in Kyoto. I also studied martial arts and gymnastics since I was 8 years old, and at the same time Rock drums! What I later realized was that when I was studying gymnastics, martial arts (Karate, Wing Chun Kung Fu, Taichi), acting, drums, Zen, modern dance (Neue Tanz-german expressionist dance), Laban method, Noguchi Taiso, etc... I was already getting prepared to become a Butoh dancer!! In my opinion and personal experience, it is much faster to understand about body, mind and the spiritual side through the whole experience of various art forms".
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Nyx Blog
Butoh, Art, Tarot, Spirituality, Mythology, Philosophy & much more! Author
Luciana Sayanes is a performing artist, teacher and author, aiming to share perspectives on Butoh Art & Spitituality. Archives
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