Sannyas Meditative Theatre: Kazuo Ohno's seeds planted in Taiwan

Focus: I Dance Therefore I Am


45_thumbOn June 1st 2010, Kazuo Ohno, one of Butoh's two great pioneers, passed away aged 104. Below are some inspiring words he donated to the universe in 1998:

A Message to the Universe

On the verge of death one revisits the joyful moments of a lifetime.
One's eyes are opened wide-gazing into the palm, seeing death, life, joy and sorrow with a sense of tranquility.
This daily studying of the soul, is this the beginning of the journey?
I sit bewildered in the playground of the dead. Here I wish to dance and dance and dance and dance, the life of the wild grass.
I see the wild grass, I am the wild grass, I become one with the universe. That metamorphosis is the cosmology and studying of the soul.
In the abundance of nature I see the foundation of dance. Is this because my soul wants to physically touch the truth?
When my mother was dying I caressed her hair all night long without being able to speak one word of comfort. Afterwards, I realized that I was not taking care of her, but that she was taking care of me.
The palms of my mother's hands are precious wild grass to me.
I wish to dance the dance of wild grass to the utmost of my heart.

A Message to the Universe by Kazuo Ohno

(Translated from Japanese by Maura Nguyen Donohue, Dance Insider)

 

In late 2005, Deva Satyana founded Sannyas, or the Sannyas Meditation Theatre, finally planting the seeds of Kazuo Ohno butoh in Taiwan. While the everchanging troupe follows in the soulful footsteps of Kazuo Ohno's Butoh, it is heavily influenced by Indian meditative practices and the writings of Osho. Sannyas means seeker of the truth. Here Satyana explains a bit more about the concepts and philosophy behind Sannyas.

 

In February 2010, Sannyas made a tribute dance to Kazuo Ohno. Hidden in the crumbling buildings of Taipei's Wolong Street, the new Sannyas troupe ventured the furthest they had ever been into the fourth dimension. For a slideshow of the performance, click here

 

Visit Sannyas' website

 

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Nick Coulson
Written by : Nick Coulson
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