sense of distance

time for a update. i have been very absorbed in my project the last week. my working space must have some very good vibes because it's so easy to concentrate there and i nicely forget the time. i don't have a clock in the studio but every time i leave the space it's later than i thought! my project has become somewhat wider. the jap-finno songs are still the main focus but i started to create movement as well. it started with the writing of japanese letters, hiragana and katakana. part of my daily practise is that i meticulously learn to draw these strange letters. by doing that with my clamsy, shaking hand, i noticed how it was about getting the distances right. all the relationships between the shapes are exactly measured and out of this comes the flow and beauty which specially hiragana has. this somehow nonchalant interconnectedness inspired me to try to bring this quality to movement. this week i also got the chance to visit old dancing ladies who practise popular japanese dances. i noticed the same harmonius flow in their steps. the dances which i saw (and took part in one) were very earthbound and feminine, often with fan or a flower in the hand. furthermore, yesterday i finally saw a piece of kyogen-theatre live. and see, there it was: the same sense of space and distances in it. this form of minimal theatre traditionally played only by men has always fascinated me. i would like to see it performed by women...and i will be commenting on that myself in the upcoming performance here.
hm, it turned out to a "working-nikki"(=diary) today. a propos, if you like to see some photos, you can visit the art village -blog. there are some funny shots and nice text in japanese:)
www.aiav.jp/blog/