Magcal Report in TPAM 2014/TPAM direction/Fumi Yokobori direction

What is TPAM Direction?
A program in which young creators who are involved in unique activities are selected as directors to create programs with free concepts and new perspectives.
This is an opportunity to share contemporary ideas and issues through each direction, and to consider the possibilities of performing arts together.
 
*You can view other TPAM reports from this page!
 
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Fumi Yokobori direction
・Jun Tsutsui + People dancing in Shin-Nagata “Dance situation in Shin-Nagata”
・Shawned Hughes “Aomori, Aomori”
KAAT Kanagawa Arts Theater <Large Studio>
2.13 Thu 16:30／2.14 Fri 16:30
 
There are two works directed by Fumi Yokobori: Jun Tsutsui + People Dancing in Shin-Nagata, "Dance Circumstances in Shin-Nagata" and
It was the second consecutive performance of Shauned Hughes' ``Aomori, Aomori''.
 
■Jun Tsutsui + People dancing in Shin-Nagata “Dance situation in Shin-Nagata”
 
``Shin-Nagata's Dance Situation'' was started in 2009 with the concept of ``Going to meet people who dance in Shin-Nagata.'' We research dance and dancing through various dancers and dancers active in Shin-Nagata, and learn about the area of Shin-Nagata. This was a continuation of the project, and the director Jun Tsutsui introduced the dancers who are actually active in Shin-Nagata while showing the dance scene in Shin-Nagata.
First of all, when you enter the venue, there is a long table and a tea set next to the big screen that look like those placed in a community center, and when the performance time comes, you think the dancing will start, but from the back you will see an auntie...or rather, a slightly older woman. came out and we started chatting while eating snacks.
No, it would be difficult to explain, so to be honest, it was a tea party between old ladies that I felt like I had seen somewhere before.
If you pass by, you'll definitely hear people say, "I'll give you Ame-chan."
I wondered, ``Is this really going to happen?'' My interest was drawn into this unexpected development in the space of a theater.
Appearing in the program at KAAT were Jun Tsutsui, who is an other person in Shin-Nagata, and Taku Ito, an interpreter. Together with the members of Sachiko Fujita's dance class who appeared above, Masawin Kitano runs a Myanmar restaurant and is also a traditional Myanmar dancer. Contemporary dancer Juri Nishioka. Korean traditional dancers Cho Emi and Park Won.
 
By the way, when I went to the Sachiko Fujita Dance School, which is cooperating with this project, and prepared a tea party set that looked like a community center, I was always treated to a lot of tea, and before the important rehearsal began, I was hungry. It seems that this is a reproduction of Mr. Tsutsui's actual experience during research, where the space became full.
 

 
First of all, let me explain the details of the program. It was a simple program where we screened interviews with each dancer and then had them perform the dances in front of us while also having a talk.
When you hear that, it may seem like we're just introducing local news, but I don't think so.
As I wrote at the beginning of the article, ``Unexpected developments in the space of the theater,'' I already had a certain image of ``what is expressed in the theater.'' may be important.
 
To quote Mr. Yokobori's text distributed at the venue, in this direction,
 
“A necessity in daily life”
“Things that loosely connect people/roots/communities”
The viewpoint that it is an expression that goes back and forth between "dance and dance as an act shown in theaters etc."
 
I would like to draw your attention to.
In this sense, Shin-Nagata's presentation is about the inevitability of ``dance'' in daily life, the roots of the region, and the relationships as a community by presenting it in a ``theater'' space that retains the atmosphere at the time of the interview. I felt that the triggers were made clear in a way that we were aware of but were not conscious of.
 
In particular, I had often seen the ``new dance'' performed to enka (popular songs) on TV, at hot spring centers in the countryside, and elsewhere. I had never been aware of its roots, and I may not have recognized it as a ``dance''...
Now, I can't help but wonder why I didn't realize that, but even just the ``dance'' part of this time, there are things like ``tradition'' that have been passed down in words to some extent, and it's a sensory experience. I believe that there are many things that have been passed down to us that cannot be put into words but continue to be passed down as an inevitable part of our daily lives.
 
"What it means to dance"
 
I think this program made me think about the fun and difficulty of the most important parts of dance, and at the same time, I felt that my interest and fascination with dance grew even more than this program.