Ageless Dance:
These experiences have made me think a lot about the nature of limitations we are made believe. In the particular case of the Arts, one first has to fight the fear of facing that artistic thirst or calling. From my own personal experience, coming from a BA in Political Science with a Minor in International Relations, I was supposed -or expected- to become a diplomat. Having to open up to myself and my family in wanting to become an artist was quite a difficult experience, mainly because of all the fears it involved. Now I see those fears are based on the quicksand of society's bias, on phrases such as "an artist is touched by a magic wand", "an artist is discovered by someone important, entitled to tell them they are artists", "noone can make a living out of the arts", "if you were not raised by a family of artists, you will never make it", "you are too old to start", and so on... Even worse in the case of dance, not having started as a child, not having formally studied ballet, or not even having a "dancer's body". In this particular last point, I ask myself what a dancer's body is... it reminds me of those internet memes about having a beach body: "How to have a beach body? 1) Have a body. 2) Go to the beach." The same happens with dance: What do we need to dance? A young, old, big, small, complete, incomplete, fit, crippled... body, as long as we have a body, as long as we are alive, as long as we put our whole selves in it, either rehearsing, taking a class, performing or even enjoying alone at home. Of course, the more "professional" we seek to become, the harder we have to work; but there are no deadlines in life, and even less excuses to remain inactive or embracing self-pity, in Mary Wigman's words: "You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing that we call ‘failure’ is not the falling down, but the staying down."
A transforming experience:
Such as many of us, she did not grow up in an environment which encouraged artistic or creative aspirations; having been raised as a little adult, she found it hard to enjoy childhood and its playfulness. However, she devoted herself to exploring her innermost desires to become a child again. Once more, she managed to succeed in turning her own limitations and barriers into positive morals: "I was forced to live far beyond my years when just a child, now I have reversed the order and I intend to remain young indefinitely." Like an eternal infant with colourful blocks, she started constructing and deconstructing her dance: she eliminated the need for music, charming costumes, or pleasant movements; she experimented with masks and ritualistic elements; and she dared to address topics related to humanity and their consequent emotions. Far from willing to reprensent a story when dancing, she seeked to reveal emotions while on stage.
Arising the soul:
When alluding to butoh, Wigman and German Expressionism are usually addressed as indisputable influences. Most references focus on Kazuo Ohno's mask-type face and the non-beautiful or unpleasant images he would bring to the audience, the lack of a settled amount of movements strictly tied to the music (which is regarded just as a support), the catharsis and expression of the most truthful inner self, and the irrational -carnal at times- quality of the movements. However, something that tends to be omitted is the approach to teaching and the creation of dance itself. In this sense, Mary Wigman's perspective on how a teacher should help a dancer discover their own movements, palette and elements -as well as their hidden dreams and urges-, had a great influence on the way Kazuo Ohno used to teach: following our dreams in order to dance our own flower.
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