Mille Oasis

The Oasis, a vital refuge for one undertaking a rocky journey.

He revitalizes himself back from rock bottom and finds himself.

Bathed in quiet and cool air, 

One meets strangers with whom we share essential fruits

While considering the next pilgrims that, in our stead, will stop soon.

It is clear, yet these are the humans of which we speak,

We who cross the storms more often in search of the next safe haven

Upon what does our will rest to surrender on the other side of the dune?

Let's observe how One Thousand Oases opens up before us, 

Will we cross its threshold?

"In Japan, my great aunt was a mistress of the traditional tea ceremony. I happened to attend one when I was small. I had the impression that she wasn’t working, because I didn't see her being very active during the ceremony. One day I made this remark to my mother, who answered to me that her real work was the quality of her presence and her skill in creating an ambiance where the guests could relax. That is the source of inspiration for this new creation.”

Anan Atoyama

Around the creation

Reflexions

Faced with a sometimes cruel and impetuous existence, we all seek to create a personal oasis in order to discover the rest needed for survival. In a hostile environment, fear governs our senses and our captive bodies endure all of the consequences. Let’s rediscover these mysteries that govern us and accept dancing as a means to temper the experience. The title of the performance One Thousand Oases explores this creative capacity that often remains buried in the sands of our personal desert.

The body has reasons that reason does not understand and through giving it its own space, I attempt to find a new body language in order to access the complexity and polychromy of our being.

“Mitatéru,” in Japanese can be translated as “adapting.” This notion, usually used in traditional Japanese art, is today also used in contemporary art, design, and fashion. Designers, thanks to their imaginations, look for all the possibilities of intrinsically transforming an object. In Nō theater for example, a fan is used as such, but it can also transform into a bowl, a knife, or a note. This “Mitatéru” can be found among Japanese fashion designers, who model design from a single fabric in order to create different styles.

My personal experience and my long stints in different countries and cultures constantly required me to “adapt” and to seek out new possibilities. From there, comes the pleasure of designing a scenography in constant movement for my performances. I enjoy throwing dancers into them in order to explore their many facets in this context, the colors and moods that each carries with them as personal baggage. That is my form of “Mitatéru.”

In my work as a choreographer, I try to catch a glimpse of a new vision of the body and of the humanity we live, to play from our strengths and weaknesses, and astonishing contrasts that are so present in my country of origin. 

Anan Atoyama