DRESSED IN WATER

Body, copper leaf, sheet copper, seaweed, bells, fabric

"Blue also is the sea:. Waves, waves, churning, sky-mirror returning the gaze of time’s secret rhythms. Immaculate innocence, kindred of matter, giver of life, shrouded in a costume you already knew. Blues, dressed in water." For the spirit of Masaki Iwana's desire

Dressed in Water is a sculptural dance piece that delves into the water element, to imagine how rebirth can follow COLLAPSE. The choreography is a poetic journey beginning with the reclining Buddha reincarnated into a woman’s body. The lesson is to learn to navigate existence once again by listening to the water cycle within the flesh: the movement of holds the secret to the flow of life and death.

This piece is a tribute to my teacher, Butoh artist and film-maker, Masaki Iwana (d.2020). Masaki's desire was to discover a “device of life itself that dares to live death…” In this work, I dive into his desire. I intensify the materiality of movement by incorporating nonhuman matter to explore this 'device'. Copper represents the cyclical nature of time. At first, the copper sheet is malleable and shapeless, but gradually, through the body's awakening and movement, it changes shape and is gradually smelted into the form of a human body, until it restricts the movement of the body and the dance comes to an end. Only the empty sculpural form remains, inviting the audience to contemplate embodiment and freedom.

Copper, known for its exceptional conductivity, is integral not only to the transportation of electricity but also in Yogic subtle anatomy, it is associated with the heart centre and the circuitry of life energy. Through the synergy of dance and copper, Dressed in Water manifests the alchemy of spiritual and energetic transduction, connecting elemental forces with the physical dimensions of being. The audience becomes more attuned to the profound vitality of water in their own bodies, reealising that they participate in the living element that assures the future of life on earth.

Choreography with Natsu Nakajima

Performances: Realisation Festival, UK, 2024;

Butoh Mutations Performance, Colet House, London, 2024;

Guest Dancer with Mutekisha Dance Company, Tokyo 2023;

Masaki Iwana Tribute Festival, Normandy, 2023