Makiko Tominaga: The first lady of Butoh visits Chile

By David Azócar

Makiko Tominaga is a Butoh performer, choreographer and director who happens to be one of the Japanese art’s top representatives in Europe. Tominaga is visiting Chile in order to perform her work entitled "The Wayfarer". Additionally, she has prepared a Chilean company to perform a piece that deals with violence against women during Chile’s domination by a military regime.

Butoh is almost completely unknown in Chile, but its origins date back to the end of World War II during the post-Hiroshima/Nagasaki period. The images of bomb victims inspired the style’s first works. Butoh is also known as "the dance of darkness."

Tominaga arrived in Chile in early August. She has held workshops to bring this dance form to the Universidad del Desarrollo. Dancers from the classes will perform an open-air performance at the end of the month, at the Monument to Aviation at Metro Salvador.

What should one expect from a Butoh performance?

Nothing in particular. It is difficult to explain what Butoh transmits. This is because the perception of each person is different.

Butoh transmits a very intimate and complex sensation. When I have asked people what they got out of a performance, I have received very different sensations. That speaks to the degree of awareness of each spectator.

For whom is Butoh intended?

It is an art form for everyone, not just for an elite few or specific audience. Everyone, from bakers to intellectuals can get something out of the works. In France, we have performed in small towns. And without fail, people came out to see the performances. No previous knowledge is needed.

What kind of topics does Butoh address?

It can take on any topic. "Wayfarer", the work which I am currently presenting, involves a deep look at our inner feelings. It's involves the coming and going of life and death in search of a peaceful end. But I should clarify that one can only understand the work if one sees it.

How do you develop your works?

Something transcends all my work, at least as far as Butoh concepts are concerned; we constantly see eternal change at work. This is because there are variations in a given piece which occur from one performance to another. It's like life. Sometimes change means a few steps in the choreography, music or lights. For me nothing will ever stop this. Everything changes.

Tell us about "Broken Body", the project that deals with the human rights violations that occurred in Chile.

I was invited to direct a small part of this work, which is a chapter entitled, "The Path of Memory."

This piece was born from research dealing with sexual violence against women during the Chilean dictatorship. The "Route of Memory" will be going through all the cultural centers of the country and present the works in the same place (where the violations occurred), almost like a ritual. The first stop is the Villa Grimaldi.

Despite the topic, I must say that I am an apolitical person. If people talk about human rights, I would have achieved my goals. But I do not want to take one side or the other. I just want people to talk about these issues.

It is the third time Tominaga has come to Chile, according Hangar Productions. She is expected to be back in January for the premiere of "Broken Body." If you want to know more about the artist, come see "The Wayfarer", which runs Aug 24-26 at Universidad Mayor, Faculty of Arts, located at: Santo Domingo 711, Santiago.