AGAXART
Oct 30, 2023
PUBLIC OPEN
Work in progress
Butoh performance "Dancing SENTO"
1 ~7 November
Butoh performance "Dancing SENTO" is an innovative entertainment that combines "HOKUSAI MANGA" and Sumida's public bath culture with Butoh dance. Prior to the performance, the creative process of the piece, including art production and choreography rehearsals, will be open to the public free of charge. November 1 to 7 at Hohjo Kohmuten tonari (old factory). You may come across a performance of the Bulgarian folk instrument "Gaida" or practice of the original Gohsyu Ondo "Sumidagawa" (traditional local song). Please feel free to drop by.
【WEB】 https://bit.ly/hokusaimangabutoh
HOKUSAI MANGA ✕ BUTOH ✕ SENTO
Why SENTO (the public bathhouse） theme?
It is not common in other countries to soak in a bathtub with others, and there is a sense of wonder at this naked custom. In addition, Tokyo's public bathhouses have undergone their own aesthetic evolution, with sento paintings and miya-zukuri roofs, and the washing area is an interesting space where the tacit understanding of a community, like reading the air, appears. It is said that the number of sento has been decreasing in recent years, but Sumida Ward has many unique sento, from those with a long history founded in the year of the Great Kanto Earthquake to modern buildings, which are crowded with men and women of all ages. When I went through them, I felt not only nostalgia but also freshness, and I was inspired to create what kind of manga Hokusai would have left if he had lived in the present age. I also had the ambition to make a Butoh piece about this unique culture and show its appeal to the world at large, which is why I chose it as my theme for this project.
【OUTLINE】
PUBLIC OPEN Work in progress of "Dancing SENTO"
Period ： 13:00~18:00 on November 1 (Wed.) ~ 7 (Tue.), 2023
Venue ： Hohjo Kohmuten Tonari (3-22-10 Higashimukojima, Sumida-ku, Tokyo)
Fee ： Free, no reservation required
WEB site ： https://bit.ly/hokusaimangabutoh
【Organization】
Cooperation ：Denki Yu
Organizer ：AGAXART, Sumi-Yume Exective Committee
Co-organizer ： Sumida City
Sponsor ：Tokyo Byoken Corporation, Tobu Railway Co.
Butoh workshop particilants will peform together!
What is Butoh?
Butoh is a contemporary dance form born in Japan in 1960, with Tatsumi Hijikata and Kazuo Ohno as its famous founders. Butoh dance questions established values, reexamines one's own body and inner self, the Japanese climate, and dance, and reconstructs them from a unique perspective. Unlike Western dance, which views physical movement as a developmental process, butoh finds beauty even in the weakened body and explores the human condition more deeply through the connection between the body and the subconscious mind. This unique physical philosophy and expression has attracted worldwide interest.
What is HOKUSAI MANGA?
"Hokusai Manga" is an illustrated manuscript by the ukiyoe artist Katsushika Hokusai. Hokusai's most famous work is "Fugaku Sanjurokkei (Thirty-six views of Mt. Fuji)," and his name is widely known throughout the world. Hokusai described his "Hokusai Manga" as a rambling depiction of things as they occur to him. Unlike today's manga, Hokusai's works were drawn without continuity and in a disorganized manner. The first edition was published in 1814 and continued to be published.
HOKUSAI MANGA BUTOH "Dancing SENTO"
【OUTLINE】
Butoh Performance "Dancing SENTO”
Dates ｜November 10(Fri) – 12(Sun) , 2023
10 (Fri) 19:00
11 (Sat) 15:00 / 19:00
12 (Sun) 15:00 / 19:00
Performace time | about 40 minites
Venue ｜Hohjo Kohmuten Tonari (3-22-10 Higashi-Mukoujima, Sumida-ku)
Ticket ｜
General Admission : 2,500 JPY
Supporter Ticket (with Original T-Shirt) : 5,000 JPY
Discounts（Please show ID at door）
Sumida Ward Residents : 2,000 JPY
Students : 1,500 JPY
Under 18 : Free
MAX ｜30 seats
Butoh ｜Emiko Agatsuma
Music ｜Shin-ya Ohno (KiMiMi)
Original Gohsyu Ondo "Sumidagawa"
Singer ｜Myojo Uchuken, Guitar｜Prince=Ohji (MIX NUTS HOUSE)
Theatre design｜Takayuki Tairyoubune
Performers ｜HOKUSAI MANGA BUTOH Workshop students
11/10 (Fri): Eiko Yoshida, Hideko Saikawa, Hitomi Umezawa, Sakino Sugimoto, Kasumi Fujiwara, Elena Herrmann
11/11 (Sat): Eiko Yoshida, Hideko Saikawa, Hitomi Umezawa, Sakino Sugimoto, Kasumi Fujiwara, Elena Hermann, Sakurako Shibata
11/12 (Sun): Eiko Yoshida, Hideko Saikawa, Hitomi Umezawa, Sakino Sugimoto, Mari Miyazawa, Koki Tsuruoka, Kikuko Watanabe, Rani Kim, Andreane Hey, Sakurako Shibata
WEB site ｜https://bit.ly/hokusaimangabutoh
Booking ｜https://forms.gle/PFZAHEu4CLxZmBbm8
ONLINE Streaming Butoh performance “Dancing SENTO”
You can enjoy “Dancing SENTO” anytime, anywhere!
Date ｜Nov 24 – Dec 24, 2023
Price ｜550 JPY
【Organization】
Organizer ｜AGAXART, Sumi-Yume Executive Committee
Co-organizer ｜Sumida City
Sponsor ｜TOKYO BYOKANE CO., LTD., TOBU RAILWAY CO., LTD.
Last year's HOKUSAI MANGA BUTOH
Inspired by the "Hokusai Manga" and artisans in the down town.
The Butoh dance depicts the working people of Edo as depicted in the Hokusai Manga, as well as the working of the artisans of Sumida today. A live performance of a folk instrument called "gaida" and the projection of machines of a factory on the entire wall surface created a fantastic stage.
This video work was officially nominated for the 2023 Barcelona Dance Film Festival
Comments from audience
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It was my first time seeing a Butoh performance. The performance was awesome and great mix of dance music and audio!
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This was very moving and inspiring!!! I would love to see it one more time!
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I was drawn in by the high level of expression. The power was amazing.
What is AGAXART?
AGAXART is an art collective dedicated to enhancing people's creativity through exploration of the body, mind and soul. We organize and manage workshops, performances, and events. With the body manipulation techniques of Butoh as its main focus, AGAXART provides a place to face the inner world, which is difficult to express through language, and to discover diverse forms of expression. We actively engage in exchanges with different cultures and work to increase interest in local resources.
【WEB site】 https://agaxart.wixsite.com/agart
Emiko AGATSUMA
Emiko Agatsuma is a director, dancer and choreographer specializing in Butoh, a dance genre that emerged in Japan in the 1960s as a reaction to Western modern dance. She heads the AGAXART production company for Butoh dancers and artists in Japan. Emiko is a recipient of the prestigious Best Young Artist 2015 Award by the Japan Dance Critics Association and she represented Japan in 2020 at the 39th annual Battery Dance Festival in New York City, USA.
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