BODY ARCHIVES
DANCEHOUSE ASIA TOPA PROGRAM
23 February 2017 - 04 March 2017
Curated in collaboration with How Ngean Lim
In conjunction with AsiaTOPA, Dancehouse presents a focused series of dance, masterclasses and roundtable panels of Asian contemporary performers. Body Archives takes a leaf from the archive as well as repertoire notions of movement and choreography (Lepecki, 2010; Taylor, 2003). This series deepens the investigation of embodied as well as kinesthetic memories that are produced, reproduced, represented and re-presented. It showcases Asian dance artists from a gamut of disciplines and training to illustrate the multitudinous ways the body moves in the present yet also invokes the past. We foreground the ways in which the past can re-emerge, via mimicry, mimesis and reproduction, as mediated by present bodies and contexts. We investigate and reframe questions on the passing of tradition through the contemporary. We discuss and debate notions of corporeal technique and technology in relation to issues of heritage, preservation and innovation. The first work to take up these questions is the widely travelled About Kazuo Ohno by critically acclaimed dancer, Takao Kawaguchi, who reproduces and re-presents the works of iconic Butoh pioneer Kazuo Ohno (1906 – 2010). There is also a devoted programme of masterclasses by dance practitioners who will share their experiences in performance and body techniques ranging from traditional training to contemporary physical iterations. Last but not least, we open up further dialogue and discourse through two engaging roundtable talks that highlight regional aspects of the traditional through to the contemporary with some very special guests.
- How Ngean Lim
Book a Body Archives Bundle, inclusive of About Kazuo Ohno (26th February) and ALL masterclasses, and save up to $65. BOOK NOW
Become a Dancehouse member for even bigger discounts on masterclasses and performances.
PERFORMANCE
TAKAO KAWAGUCHI - ABOUT KAZUO OHNO
Takao Kawaguchi, reconsiders authorship and artistic freedom by recreating the movements of legendary butoh dancer, Kazuo Ohno. Learn more...
Date: 25-26 February, 2017
Where: Sylvia Staehli Theatre, Dancehouse (wheelchair accessible)
Cost: $25 F | $20 C | $15 DH member
Bookings: Click here
Photo credit: Takuya Matsumi
MASTERCLASSES
BODY SCULPTING WORKSHOP
TAKAO KAWAGUCHI
Date: Thursday, 23 February 10am-1pm
Cost: $40 F | $25 DH member
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This workshop will allow you to share in the creative process of Takao Kawaguchi's performance About Kazuo Ohno. Participants will try to imitate the butoh master's performances from video clips by closely observing the minuscule spaces that fold and unfold in time. LEARN MORE
SEE ALSO: About Kazuo Ohno at Dancehouse
ENGAGING THE TALA RHYTHM
PRIYA SRINIVASAN
Date: Friday, 24 February 10am-2pm
Cost: $40 F | $25 DH member
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This workshop explores the ways that rhythms animate our body-mind-spirit being. Participants will use the breath as the first rhythm that our bodies create to then attend to the external rhythms in our environment. LEARN MORE
SEE ALSO: Jaipur Literary Festival AsiaTOPA (Fed Square-February 11-12), Traces of Becoming (Immigration Museum – February 15-18), The Past in the Present (Dancehouse - February 25), and Asian Arts in Australia: Long Pasts and Possible Futures (Asia Institute and Lesley Kehoe Galleries March 31-April 1).
INTRODUCTION TO MACHO DANCE
EISA JOCSON
Date: Saturday, 25 February 10am-2pm
Cost: $40 F | $25 DH member
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This workshop is an introduction to the basic techniques of macho dancing. The physical principles of macho dancing will be explored beginning with the illusion of weight and volume as well as viscosity in time and space. LEARN MORE
SEE ALSO: Macho Dancer at Arts Centre Melbourne
WORKING WITH WINDOWS
ANNA KURODA
Date: Thursday, 2 March 10am-2pm
Cost: $40 F | $25 DH member
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You will be invited to explore the choreographic concept of Anna's current work 'Window'. See the architecture you are surrounded by at this moment. Leading with your eyes, 'seeing' then slowly drawing space increases awareness of micro changes in body and space. LEARN MORE
THE DESCENDING PULSE
EKO SUPRIYANTO
Date: Friday, 3 March 10am-1pm
Cost: $40 F | $25 DH member
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Exploring the movement vocabularies of the Legu Salai and Soya Soya from West Halmahera, North Maluku and the embodiment of verticality, Supriyanto guides participants through the a series of techniques and formations related to his studies of the under water world and recent works Cry Jailolo and Balabala. LEARN MORE
SEE ALSO: Cry Jailolo - EkosDance Company and Balabala - EkosDance Company at Arts Centre Melbourne
CIRCLE WITH MILLION EXITS
PICHET KLUNCHUN
Date: Saturday, 4 March 10am-2pm
Cost: $40 F | $25 DH member
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In this workshop, Pichet will introduce the new dance techniques developed from the traditional Thai dance that leads to the contemporary movements called 'Circle with million exits.' LEARN MORE
SEE ALSO: Pichet Klunchun Dance Company - Dancing With Death at Arts Centre Melbourne
ROUNTABLE DISCUSSIONS
THE PAST IN THE PRESENT
PRIYA SRINIVASAN, PHILIPA ROTHFIELD & TONY YAP - facilitated by HOW NGEAN
Date: Saturday, 25 February 5:30-7pm
Cost: FREE
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How are traditional factors made manifest within contemporary choreographic practice? How are cultural and artistic heritages made relevant in the present when one's culture and art are foreign to dominant, local sociopolitical and cultural phenomena? The Past in the Present highlights Asian Australian artists and their journey from traditional or classical heritage and training, stemming from single cultural bearings to multicultural influences. More importantly, it delves into their contemporary situations in defining their art and choreographic craft. We anticipate a lively engagement between these three invited dance practitioners/researchers, who hail from diverse contexts, dance experiences and modes of scholarship. LEARN MORE
CONTINUING THE CONTEMPORARY
EKO SUPRIYANTO (Indonesia), VICTORIA CHIU (Aus/China), ANNA KURODA (Aus/Japan) - facilitated by HOW NGEAN
Date: Saturday, 4 March 11am-12:30pm
Cost: FREE
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What does it mean to be contemporary from different perspectives of training, bodily disciplines and tradition? What is the relevance of traditional sociocultural and corporeal practices to contemporary choreography? Is the traditional and heritage relevant at all to the Asian dance practitioner? Continuing the Contemporary brings together three dance practitioners to shed insights (or not) into ongoing issues of the traditional/classical as a potent(ial) artistic source, its relationship with the contemporary, and, links made between the past and present in their choreographic and aesthetic practices. LEARN MORE
Book a Body Archives Bundle, inclusive of About Kazuo Ohno (26th February) and ALL masterclasses, and save up to $65. BOOK NOW
Become a Dancehouse member for even bigger discounts on masterclasses and performances.
Asia TOPA is a joint initiative of the Sidney Myer Fund and Arts Centre Melbourne and is supported by the Australian and Victorian Governments.
