Colonne

It was when “Végétal” (Plant) was being performed at the Tokyo Festival of Contemporary Poetry in March 1997 that Régine Chopinot was asked to also compose a solo on a contemporary Japanese poem. Her choice was based on “Colonne de mots” (Column of words) by Shuntarô Tanikawa, the first words of which: “Johann Sebastian Bach built a temple of sounds in the void, but me, I build a column of words in the void…” resound like an echo familiar of the worlds of “Soli-Bach” (Bach Solos) and “Végétal”, previous creations by Régine Chopinot. “Colonne”, presented in 1997 in Tokyo and at the Montpellier Danse Festival, would later be performed in 1998 as an prelude to “Quatre Saisons” (Four Seasons), alternating with “Chant de la lune” (Moon Song) another short poetic piece. This piece is designed as a recital of danced poetry in which Régine Chopinot dances a solo, to a saraband by Johann Sebastian Bach, played on the flute by Julien Beaudiment. She is accompanied on stage by narrator Hiroko Kamimura, who reads the poem in the tradition of the Noh theatre.

The author, Suntarô Tanikawa, was born in Tokyo in 1931. He is one of Japan’s most productive and popular contemporary poets. His work has long been characterised by the placing side by side of distance and belonging to the world. An explorer of language, his poetry sometimes takes us to a completely unreal world, sometimes reflects the naked voice of a poet confronting life (cf. programme from the Théâtre Le Maillon, Strasbourg, January-March 1998). He is also known for his works for children and young people, as well as for his translations (“Tales of Mother Goose”, 1975), songs, plays and essays.

““Colonne” is me, where I am. It is the very intimate space that exists between me the choreographer and me the dancer: a snake biting its own tail! It is austerity and fullness which occupy me as much as the ordinary person.  My pleasure in dance versus my desire for sketches and wilderness. The crossing of the desert accompanied by two beings of grace. Because “Colonne” is a trio of the breath with Hiroko and Julien, on the very simple thing that is the void, emptiness.” (Régine Chopinot, quoted in the programme of the Centre culturel français de Damas (Damascus Centre of French Culture), May 1998)

Updating: February 2013