by Lisa J. Tabet
The Daily Lobo
This Tuesday, Kota Yamazaki and Mina Nishumura will take the stage at UNM's Rodey Theatre in "Meronna," a Butoh dance performance.
Butoh is a contemporary avant-garde dance form originating in Japan and first performed there in 1959. It combines dance, theater and improvisation along with influences of Japanese traditional performing arts and German Expressionist dance, creating a unique style.
Yamazaki, founder of Rosy Dance Company and a Japan native, started the dance company in 2002. The Kota Yamazaki Fluid hug-hug Co. produced "Meronna."
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"For me, dance is to convey my thinking and message, to explore new forms of human relationships and community and at the same time, to discover something that could change the times," Yamazaki said. "I would be very happy if someone sees my work and feels their life may not be the same anymore. I am convinced that dance, or the body, has a power that transcends nationality and instantly eliminates the walls of individuality."
Yamazaki has presented several works around the world, including tours of Europe, Asia, Africa and the United States. Until "Meronna," Yamazaki's works have been focused on space and place. This performance however, is focused on time.
"I would like to reveal an eternity of a people who have a beautiful life regardless an ordinary or special one," he said. "For example, you can see at the same time of everyday, a beautiful old lady watching down the street from a window of her room on the 4th floor of an apartment in New York City."
He said he hopes to translate this concept through dance into the performance.
Yamazaki is currently completing a world tour with his company, Fluid hug-hug Co., presenting other works and pieces. He also is working on a collaboration project with an architect in Vienna, Austria.
"Meronna," part of the Global DanceFest 2003 that began in Santa Fe in April, continues in Albuquerque at the Rodey Theatre on Tuesday.
Presented by several organizations including the UNM Department of Theatre and Dance, the project is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts.
"Meronna" starts at 7:30 p.m. and tickets are $12 for general admission, $10 for students and senior citizens and are available through the UNM Ticket Office.
