The gift of alternate realities in the city is at times a relief, a surprise, and most often, surreal. One play I watched drew in my mind Alanis’ guitar and her questions: What if God was one of us? If God had a name, what would it be? Or something like that.
Then, in another play, I watched a pretty girl struggle to fit into the ‘normal’ world with her penchant for cooking and eating people with ‘dead’ souls. For this lovely, calm maneater, after all, it’s all just a matter of perspective. Pak!
Then, just recently, another opportunity came to watch what would have to be the most disturbing performance of them all—Russ Ligtas’ Three Lullabies (tulo ka laylay), which uses a strange art form called (ahem) “Butoh”.
Accordingly, “Butoh”, also described as “Dance of Darkness” or “Dance of the Dark Soul”, is a contemporary avant-garde dance form which originated in post-war Japan in the late fifties. It is said that this movement was born out of a search for a new identity, to establish meaning for a society after defeat. Various reports attribute its origins to Japanese dance legends Tatsumi Hijikata and Kazuo Ohno. Controversial and yet universal in its expression, it combines dance, theater and improvisation, with influences of traditional Japanese and German Expressionist dance (Neue Tanz). As I searched online, I learned that Butoh has evolved into an international art form with artists and groups devoted to teaching and performing it in East and South-East Asia, North and South America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Hawaii.
As it happens, Cebu’s own Russ Ligtas boldly introduced this fascinating art form to a handful of curious, even clueless, audience in Handuraw just a few weeks ago. So I sat there among 30 or so people in the darkened room, with my eyes trained on the lone spotlight. Soon enough the haunting voice of Chai Fonacier filled the room with a 1950s song, drawing out “the creature” for the First Act- “Lullaby of the Lifeless”.
All at once, we were arrested by the sight of a man, covered in white make-up (just like mime, yes) and grotesque costume, with clawed hands, twisting about and making crazy faces, seemingly possessed. Ladies and gentlemen, apparently this was no ordinary performer, this Russ Ligtas. It was more like…Oh, hello Halloween!
Forget The Grudge or that long-haired little girl Samara in The Ring or, even the Wicked Witches on Hallow’s Eve. Before us was already a creature with the propensity to torment our soul and imagination. Nearly nude with red-rimmed eyes rolling about and a mouth alternately opened in silent screams… just charming.
I began to realize that Butoh is not for the frail. In the Second Act, “A Fluke Among Flukes”, I watched ‘the creature’ dance to nocturnal visitations and epiphanies made even more eerie with guest collaborator Mr. Raymund Fernandez smoothly playing the saxophone in the background. Absurd incantations like “Pop!” “Swing” “Take off your hat, take off your hat, take off your hat…” lent white noise to the darkness, as one dreams of death.
In the Final Act- “Laylay ni Mortisio” (Mortisio’s Lullaby), I watched ‘the creature’ struggle between sleep and wakefulness, his fetus-like body unfolding, writhing and striking odd poses on the floor.
At this point, allow me to borrow a Poem by Laurence Rawlins. Among the researched material I could get my hands on in an attempt to understand Butoh, this for me captures the most the essence of what I had just watched:
Enter the stage,
It is sacred; the dream begins...
I am a man, I am a woman, I am no one, I am everyone.
At times it feels that I am not human,
The raging monster begins to surface,
He dies, my blood seeps into the ocean,
Salt, fish, seaweed
I am being pulled by the moon,
The ebb and flow lulls me into timelessness,
The constellations reflects on the sea.
Ah... this is the realm of Butoh
Okay now, really, when you think about it, how weird can you get? In Butoh, there is no set style and the movements seem to be purely conceptual as it explores the unconscious, the realm of the imagination, darkness and shadows. While it could easily be the strangest art form some of us had ever seen, at least it dares to spite our consciousness and tickle our sense for the absurd.
Admittedly, not all intimate plays or movement is easy to understand. At times, they leave us more confused, numb, or just bored. But then maybe, some art are not meant to be reconciled in the mind. Maybe, if we just for a moment allow ourselves to get lost, we can be found and led to where art is supposed to take us. If we don’t experience the darkness, how else would we learn to dance towards the light? I guess that’s why I find Butoh, no matter how appalling or strange, somehow sublimely beautiful.
And oh, congratulations to Russ Ligtas for bravely dancing in the dark.
--SunStar Weekend, November 12, 2011
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