Let me tell you a very beautiful story, which I had the honor of living.
It was in 2005 when I was invited to play my first solo in Paris (more than 20 performances in a month).
This was at the same time that he was taking a workshop with Yoshito Ohno. [Butoh master].
So from morning to afternoon – workshop and then straight to the theater to perform, every night. It was an incredible moment for me.
I had invited Yoshito to my show and he said he could come.
One day in class he talked about the last moment of the show … giving metaphors of melting snow … moonlight … metaphors that I found inspiring.
And it’s good to keep them in mind … They can give your ending more depth, something to work with.
Yoshito spoke that day about bowing at the end of the show, since you know that bowing in Japan is a custom and there are ways to do it correctly, also somehow it’s still your show … you’re on stage (normally) and you are in this precious moment / phase between stage life and real life.
Yoshito said that it is the most important part of the show and we practiced for hours that day.
Inspired and happy, I went to the theater after the workshop, as usual. Of course, I expected him to come see the show with his assistant. Before the start call for the show, I asked my agent at the time, Annie Rapoport Rayski, to see if he had arrived (it was a 60-seat theater, so he might have recognized a Japanese teacher if he had been there) . He told me that he had not seen any Japanese in the audience. Naturally, I was disappointed.
Once on stage, I kept looking for him in the audience, and I told myself that I should forget about it and be in the show.
At the end of the show I felt like my skin was melting like snow from the heat of the sun.
And once the lights went out, I stood up, absorbed the applause, and then bowed down with everything, everything I had, while I practiced. Then all of a sudden Yoshito came up on stage with a huge basket of flowers. They told me he entered the theater at the end of the show. He came for the last moments of the show. He came for my bow. I was so moved by his wisdom, he is truly a great teacher.
After the show we had a lot of fun in the restaurant next to the theater, Yosito and I, as well as his assistant, my manager and my mask designer –
It was an unforgettable night!
Do you find it as inspiring as I do?