my longest english essay

i wrote down the essay for application of one project.
this is my logest english essay until now.:)
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Question for the "visual". In your "xxxx" program, where various artists are gathering from Europe and Asia, I would like to challenge about this theme with other participants. Needless to say, we can't imagine contemporary dance without the visual. The spectators come to the theater to see dancers' movement(and/or something related it) mainly. Though if there is a beautiful ceiling picture in the historical theater, no one just observe it while the performance.

I have learned the importance of the visual in the contemporary dance through various opportunities. For example, on 2001 when I participated in a research project of Philippe Decoufle, one of represented French choreographers, he taught me that the strong image, which can offer the stimulation, freshness and involvement of imagination to the spectators, makes the performance very interesting, and to find out that we must not forget the effort every time in our creation. Also in the classes of the University, I learned that trying to have a feedback in visual for my own dancing and choreography such as using a mirror and video camera, is certain good way to raise the quality of them.

However, simultaneously, I have had interest in the dancers' sensitive sense which can not be appeared easily in visual, according to attending some workshops of various artists. Saburo Teshigawara's own method, noticed me that our body can receive our aim and move flexibly even if we are extremely tired. Studying contact improvisation, with Kosei Sakamoto, Andrew de Harwood, Nita Little and so on, I discovered my body can feel the extensity among people and what happens there. In the ballet class by Misako Terada and Janette Panette, I was aware of my habit to use too much power to move unconsciously and learned how to release it. Of course, originally these workshops aim to refine the movements as visual. But it is sure that they also offer the way to notice the sensitive sense of our body which we hardly experience in our daily life.

In addition, I also have studied about the Phenomenology. Especially I was affected by Merleau-Ponty's thought and that let us know that, as describing the state of things carefully, we can understand the detail of our situation(relationship with social, politics, system of knowledges and so on) and our aim more. And I noticed that this approach in describing of Phenomenology is close to the approach in dancers' sensitive sense which I learned in some workshops. A common point among them is strongly adhesive persistence for 'the moment.' What happens right now, here? In other words, if we can find out a way to make dancers' sensitive sense open up as in intelligent possibilities, using it not only for getting refined movements, we can clarify the relationships between us and the various knowledge systems or intelligent thinking movements such as social, politics, ethic and so on.

Reflecting that idea, my latest piece "parole" aimed to reveal the minute movements in our communication to see how people are confronting to the others. In the choreography, we use the technique of contact improvisation mainly, but we did not decide the detail before the performance. In accordance with that, the dancers have to see and guess how do they move together and accept each other carefully. Then spectators can find attention and caring of them in between this process, and that proposes the approach to the ethic. (Hajime tried to plan to adjust the relationships between 'creation community and spectators' to understand each other as the others, as the public area. Tohru Inekura, Engekijin 22nd)

I have visited European countries 3 times since last year. Especially this year, I took part in danceWEB intensive study program(Austria, Wien), and that offered me the opportunities to touch with the real European dance scene, seeing a lot of performances, taking so many workshops and directly exchanging opinions with the artists in person. In accordance with this experiences, many artists of today are creating his/her work having the question for the visual in the similar way as me. Jerome Bel explained that he started from the question for a 'spectacle' in his "Pichet Kunchen and Myself", which was very symbolically for me.

I think this question is from that most of contemporary dance in 90's concentrated to make 'spectacle', but they could not propose the idea of solution for the miserable politic problem such as 9.11 and Iraqi War. Or, as we know, the same of spectacle in the media, explaining looks/sounds obviously, encouraged US nations to sustain to start the war. We are not already living in the optimistic world, being not satisfied with just delighting spectators.

The place is where the next generation gathering, your "xxxx" program. Participants would share that theme there, I think. So I would like to propose my idea, dancers' sensitive sense can be connected various knowledge system or thinking movement, and would like to join the process of seeking a new way of contemporary dance. Meeting people who have various back ground, exchange the numerous opinions and ideas, try and experiment together. I am expected to be pleasure there.

Thank you very much for your consideration.

Hajime Fujita