Theatre of Yugen and JypsyJays Productions proudly presents Desires and Desiderations - Three Solo Dance Theatre Pieces. Two seasoned solo dance theatre artists-- Judith Kajiwara and Jaysi --bring to life three compelling stories. Carefully lacing the stories together, Kajiwara uses the powerful Japanese contemporary dance form, Butoh; and Jaysi employs a contemporary expression of Kathak dance. Ranging from whimsical to outrage, from shackles to freedom, from frenzy to serenity, Desires and Desiderations is a breathlessly bold exposé of intimacy.
Masterfully using Butoh movement, Judith Kajiwara challenges her viewers in the shameless stories of two women. One story is “modern”, drawing from Kajiwara’s own personal journey; the other is “ancient”, based on a 1,000-year-old Japanese legend. Though The Dress (2012) and Kurozuka (The Black Mound) (2012) take place during times, and at locations, worlds apart, they each wrestle with the same deafening havoc hidden within, as each character seeks to understand and fulfill her desires. Exhausted from their respective journeys, both women ultimately tap into and reclaim a boundless Spirit, both arriving at the exact same inner haven of renewed gratitude and peace.
The Dress is a thought-provoking parody that signals the end of relationships everywhere. It was inspired by a fancy new dress Kajiwara found in her closet. She’d purchased it as a splurge when her marriage was still new. She dreamed of wearing it for a special occasion. Twenty years passed and that special occasion never came. The marriage ended and the dress had long been forgotten. Still with tags attached, The Dress becomes a live animation of feelings and events—seen and unseen--that chew her up and spit her out. This performance is dedicated to those who no longer seek love outside of themselves but have, at last, found it within.
Kurozuka is Kajiwara’s Butoh interpretation of the 1,000 year-old legend about the Demon Woman of the Black Mound. Performed throughout Japan in both the traditions of Noh and Kabuki theaters, this is mostly likely the first Butoh interpretation. The story is about Iwate, an elderly woman who lives isolated in the cold, remote mountains of Northern Japan. It is a poignant drama about a once-beautiful woman whose life turned sour through abandonment, betrayal, and shame. The tale takes an unlikely twist when a group of Buddhist priests accidentally arrive at her doorstep, asking for food and shelter.
This is the 4th generation performance of Kurozuka. In celebration, Kajiwara has added some new elements to the story which will no doubt be pleasing to the audience.
Jaysi performs Aawara, la Vagabonda, an intercultural contemporary Kathak dance theater piece that draws upon the life and classic works of the controversial French author Collete. Classical Kathak and contemporary movement, text, and songs probe the complexities of longing, loneliness, desire, and the need for independence and freedom. The piece juxtaposes the conflict between a woman’s inner desires and societal expectations. Excerpts from Colette’s La Vagabonde form the textual core of the dialogue between the protagonist and her unseen female confidante. The music is based in classical Hindustani ragas bookended by folk songs in Urdu.
The piece is set in a rhythm cycle of 13 (Jaitaal) for its simultaneously lyrical and discomfiting quality. Original music created for the piece includes parts for piano, sarode, violin, vocals, and tabla.
Aawara, la Vagabonda hopes to inspire women to value their original and inherent worth regardless of age or relationship/marital status, and to nurture their intellectual and creative pursuits. The protagonist is an amalgamation of revolutionary heroines such as Colette, Amelia Earhart, Umrao Jaan, Edith Piaf, and Arundhati Roy. Though their life histories include romance, their fulfillment lay in the cultivation of their talents. Women often abdicate this freedom at great expense to their human potential. Aawara explores how we negotiate the spectrum between freedom and security and exalts another option.
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Masterfully using Butoh movement, Judith Kajiwara challenges her viewers in the shameless stories of two women. One story is “modern”, drawing from Kajiwara’s own personal journey; the other is “ancient”, based on a 1,000-year-old Japanese legend. Though The Dress (2012) and Kurozuka (The Black Mound) (2012) take place during times, and at locations, worlds apart, they each wrestle with the same deafening havoc hidden within, as each character seeks to understand and fulfill her desires. Exhausted from their respective journeys, both women ultimately tap into and reclaim a boundless Spirit, both arriving at the exact same inner haven of renewed gratitude and peace.
The Dress is a thought-provoking parody that signals the end of relationships everywhere. It was inspired by a fancy new dress Kajiwara found in her closet. She’d purchased it as a splurge when her marriage was still new. She dreamed of wearing it for a special occasion. Twenty years passed and that special occasion never came. The marriage ended and the dress had long been forgotten. Still with tags attached, The Dress becomes a live animation of feelings and events—seen and unseen--that chew her up and spit her out. This performance is dedicated to those who no longer seek love outside of themselves but have, at last, found it within.
Kurozuka is Kajiwara’s Butoh interpretation of the 1,000 year-old legend about the Demon Woman of the Black Mound. Performed throughout Japan in both the traditions of Noh and Kabuki theaters, this is mostly likely the first Butoh interpretation. The story is about Iwate, an elderly woman who lives isolated in the cold, remote mountains of Northern Japan. It is a poignant drama about a once-beautiful woman whose life turned sour through abandonment, betrayal, and shame. The tale takes an unlikely twist when a group of Buddhist priests accidentally arrive at her doorstep, asking for food and shelter.
This is the 4th generation performance of Kurozuka. In celebration, Kajiwara has added some new elements to the story which will no doubt be pleasing to the audience.
Jaysi performs Aawara, la Vagabonda, an intercultural contemporary Kathak dance theater piece that draws upon the life and classic works of the controversial French author Collete. Classical Kathak and contemporary movement, text, and songs probe the complexities of longing, loneliness, desire, and the need for independence and freedom. The piece juxtaposes the conflict between a woman’s inner desires and societal expectations. Excerpts from Colette’s La Vagabonde form the textual core of the dialogue between the protagonist and her unseen female confidante. The music is based in classical Hindustani ragas bookended by folk songs in Urdu.
The piece is set in a rhythm cycle of 13 (Jaitaal) for its simultaneously lyrical and discomfiting quality. Original music created for the piece includes parts for piano, sarode, violin, vocals, and tabla.
Aawara, la Vagabonda hopes to inspire women to value their original and inherent worth regardless of age or relationship/marital status, and to nurture their intellectual and creative pursuits. The protagonist is an amalgamation of revolutionary heroines such as Colette, Amelia Earhart, Umrao Jaan, Edith Piaf, and Arundhati Roy. Though their life histories include romance, their fulfillment lay in the cultivation of their talents. Women often abdicate this freedom at great expense to their human potential. Aawara explores how we negotiate the spectrum between freedom and security and exalts another option.
Theatre of Yugen and JypsyJays Productions proudly presents Desires and Desiderations - Three Solo Dance Theatre Pieces. Two seasoned solo dance theatre artists-- Judith Kajiwara and Jaysi --bring to life three compelling stories. Carefully lacing the stories together, Kajiwara uses the powerful Japanese contemporary dance form, Butoh; and Jaysi employs a contemporary expression of Kathak dance. Ranging from whimsical to outrage, from shackles to freedom, from frenzy to serenity, Desires and Desiderations is a breathlessly bold exposé of intimacy.
Masterfully using Butoh movement, Judith Kajiwara challenges her viewers in the shameless stories of two women. One story is “modern”, drawing from Kajiwara’s own personal journey; the other is “ancient”, based on a 1,000-year-old Japanese legend. Though The Dress (2012) and Kurozuka (The Black Mound) (2012) take place during times, and at locations, worlds apart, they each wrestle with the same deafening havoc hidden within, as each character seeks to understand and fulfill her desires. Exhausted from their respective journeys, both women ultimately tap into and reclaim a boundless Spirit, both arriving at the exact same inner haven of renewed gratitude and peace.
The Dress is a thought-provoking parody that signals the end of relationships everywhere. It was inspired by a fancy new dress Kajiwara found in her closet. She’d purchased it as a splurge when her marriage was still new. She dreamed of wearing it for a special occasion. Twenty years passed and that special occasion never came. The marriage ended and the dress had long been forgotten. Still with tags attached, The Dress becomes a live animation of feelings and events—seen and unseen--that chew her up and spit her out. This performance is dedicated to those who no longer seek love outside of themselves but have, at last, found it within.
Kurozuka is Kajiwara’s Butoh interpretation of the 1,000 year-old legend about the Demon Woman of the Black Mound. Performed throughout Japan in both the traditions of Noh and Kabuki theaters, this is mostly likely the first Butoh interpretation. The story is about Iwate, an elderly woman who lives isolated in the cold, remote mountains of Northern Japan. It is a poignant drama about a once-beautiful woman whose life turned sour through abandonment, betrayal, and shame. The tale takes an unlikely twist when a group of Buddhist priests accidentally arrive at her doorstep, asking for food and shelter.
This is the 4th generation performance of Kurozuka. In celebration, Kajiwara has added some new elements to the story which will no doubt be pleasing to the audience.
Jaysi performs Aawara, la Vagabonda, an intercultural contemporary Kathak dance theater piece that draws upon the life and classic works of the controversial French author Collete. Classical Kathak and contemporary movement, text, and songs probe the complexities of longing, loneliness, desire, and the need for independence and freedom. The piece juxtaposes the conflict between a woman’s inner desires and societal expectations. Excerpts from Colette’s La Vagabonde form the textual core of the dialogue between the protagonist and her unseen female confidante. The music is based in classical Hindustani ragas bookended by folk songs in Urdu.
The piece is set in a rhythm cycle of 13 (Jaitaal) for its simultaneously lyrical and discomfiting quality. Original music created for the piece includes parts for piano, sarode, violin, vocals, and tabla.
Aawara, la Vagabonda hopes to inspire women to value their original and inherent worth regardless of age or relationship/marital status, and to nurture their intellectual and creative pursuits. The protagonist is an amalgamation of revolutionary heroines such as Colette, Amelia Earhart, Umrao Jaan, Edith Piaf, and Arundhati Roy. Though their life histories include romance, their fulfillment lay in the cultivation of their talents. Women often abdicate this freedom at great expense to their human potential. Aawara explores how we negotiate the spectrum between freedom and security and exalts another option.
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Masterfully using Butoh movement, Judith Kajiwara challenges her viewers in the shameless stories of two women. One story is “modern”, drawing from Kajiwara’s own personal journey; the other is “ancient”, based on a 1,000-year-old Japanese legend. Though The Dress (2012) and Kurozuka (The Black Mound) (2012) take place during times, and at locations, worlds apart, they each wrestle with the same deafening havoc hidden within, as each character seeks to understand and fulfill her desires. Exhausted from their respective journeys, both women ultimately tap into and reclaim a boundless Spirit, both arriving at the exact same inner haven of renewed gratitude and peace.
The Dress is a thought-provoking parody that signals the end of relationships everywhere. It was inspired by a fancy new dress Kajiwara found in her closet. She’d purchased it as a splurge when her marriage was still new. She dreamed of wearing it for a special occasion. Twenty years passed and that special occasion never came. The marriage ended and the dress had long been forgotten. Still with tags attached, The Dress becomes a live animation of feelings and events—seen and unseen--that chew her up and spit her out. This performance is dedicated to those who no longer seek love outside of themselves but have, at last, found it within.
Kurozuka is Kajiwara’s Butoh interpretation of the 1,000 year-old legend about the Demon Woman of the Black Mound. Performed throughout Japan in both the traditions of Noh and Kabuki theaters, this is mostly likely the first Butoh interpretation. The story is about Iwate, an elderly woman who lives isolated in the cold, remote mountains of Northern Japan. It is a poignant drama about a once-beautiful woman whose life turned sour through abandonment, betrayal, and shame. The tale takes an unlikely twist when a group of Buddhist priests accidentally arrive at her doorstep, asking for food and shelter.
This is the 4th generation performance of Kurozuka. In celebration, Kajiwara has added some new elements to the story which will no doubt be pleasing to the audience.
Jaysi performs Aawara, la Vagabonda, an intercultural contemporary Kathak dance theater piece that draws upon the life and classic works of the controversial French author Collete. Classical Kathak and contemporary movement, text, and songs probe the complexities of longing, loneliness, desire, and the need for independence and freedom. The piece juxtaposes the conflict between a woman’s inner desires and societal expectations. Excerpts from Colette’s La Vagabonde form the textual core of the dialogue between the protagonist and her unseen female confidante. The music is based in classical Hindustani ragas bookended by folk songs in Urdu.
The piece is set in a rhythm cycle of 13 (Jaitaal) for its simultaneously lyrical and discomfiting quality. Original music created for the piece includes parts for piano, sarode, violin, vocals, and tabla.
Aawara, la Vagabonda hopes to inspire women to value their original and inherent worth regardless of age or relationship/marital status, and to nurture their intellectual and creative pursuits. The protagonist is an amalgamation of revolutionary heroines such as Colette, Amelia Earhart, Umrao Jaan, Edith Piaf, and Arundhati Roy. Though their life histories include romance, their fulfillment lay in the cultivation of their talents. Women often abdicate this freedom at great expense to their human potential. Aawara explores how we negotiate the spectrum between freedom and security and exalts another option.
show less
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