Simplified Hikinuki Dance (AK)

I hope you are all well. been mentioning bits of this to Conal, but wanted to pull it all together here. I think - based on time, etc, AND aesthetic considerations - I personally think that the simpler the Hikinuki section/series of images is the better. This would contrast with the more choreographed, ordered section that Simone has come up with.


1) In 'The Heron Maiden' the dance begins with Tamasuburo rising through the stage. I like this as a simple metaphor for the idea of something coming out of nothingness, of an emergent property appearing from the chaotic system, of subjectivity being born (this last point, in relation to the rending of the garment and the splitting of the subject).

2) The 'rising' could be achieved by the figure rising through the stage on some kind of deus et machina thingy - but this is impractical, expensive and time consuming. What about the figure rising before a static camera, the figure on some kind of see-saw that lifts him/her, and then possibly a final shot of them standing on the ground. Hey presto - done by editing?

3) Rather than hem the gauze garment - which would make them heavy - if we work on the pattern and get that right and just make them without a hem then we save time and weight and the gauze looks more diaphanous. Save a lot of time and unnecessary work, I feel.

4) We could paint the Lacanian diagrams onto naked torsos rather than print onto the gauze, or project the diagrams.

5) A small cut at the front and the back of the 'Lacan kimono' costume would mean that rather than pulling the garment off, in a traditional hikinuki fashion, we could rip it off the static dancer/person's body. I think this would look beautiful slowed down (same flowing speed that the subject rises initially in).

6) The 'dance' or action would then be:
   i) Person rises in Lacan guaze kimono, possibly extends arms so the diagram can be projected.
   ii) Kimono ripped off by 'stage hands', seen or not.
   iii) Person walks backwards in a slightly supplicant pose, as the Heron Maiden does after her first hikinuki.
   iv) The process begins again.

7th) And final point! I think we could set a date to practice make-up on Leanne, if she is still up for the Yoko section. I think that the text piece (me as Conal as me discussing elements of the process of making this peice) would work as a voice over for the Yoko 'performance'.