HIJIKATA NAKANISHI Memorial Saruhashi Studio Steering Committee
This project began by focusing on avant-garde activities in the 1960s, including the happening movement in New York represented by Allan Kaprow and pioneering happenings in Japan, led by the Butoh dancer Tatsumi Hijikata. By exploring the avant-garde performances of the 1960s, particularly through recorded footage of Tatsumi Hijikata’s performances, the project introduced experimental expressions in dance and bodily movement pursued by contemporary dancers in Japan in the 2020s. This exploration unfolded in two presentations in July and October.
In addition, during October to November, Mexican dancers who hosted the “Tatsumi Hijikata Exhibition” in Mexico were invited, showcasing Mexico’s distinctive avant-garde dance through live performances and videos. The project, with its focus on the discovery of vivid bodily expressions and the pursuit of diverse styles of expression, became an endeavor that could discover breadth and possibilities through creation and public practices at its base.