The limit between the human and the artificial

Puppets are objects created by man that have human forms and characteristics. But…what happens when the human body imitates an inanimate object such as a puppet.

Minako Seki, one of the female pioneers in contemporary Japanese dance or Butoh(as it is artistically known) performed ‘Human Form 1’ in Los Andes.

“I want to blur the limits between human and artificial bodies in this piece. The human body, which is nothing more than a simple puppet, is stripped of its form to achieve a liminal space between physicality and artificiality”, states the Japanese artist, who created her own style of teaching –the Seki method– based on the technique she uses with own body.

For Human Form 1, “I take inspiration from puppets and robots and I borrow elements from the art of animation, Japanese gardens, and architecture”.

As well as the event, which took place on 10th May, 2019 in the Mario Laserna auditorium, the oriental dancer also held a Butoh dance workshop: the Seki method – Dancing in Between with Uniandes students. This is a technique based on the connection of a series of points that are generated from experience and history with different spaces, feelings, memories, objects, sounds, and images using the medium of dance and the power of imagination as the main sources to evoke feelings and create a natural quality in the physical principles of movement.

Her works, Human Form 1 and 2, Existence, and Two are the most famous, and she has travelled the world performing them.

She has worked as an independent director and choreographer since 1996 and has participated in collaborative projects such as Peter Michael Hamel’s opera The final solution as well as on different artistic productions and shows. These include her new joint work Equilibrio Arcaico with the Spanish dancer and choreographer Israel Galván in which they aim to penetrate flamenco.

Minako Seki’s visit to the Universidad de los Andes was organized by the Japanese Center, the Cultural Center, and the Dean of Students Office.

About ‘Human Form 1’
Minako Seki / Commedia Futura Hannover (Japan)
Dance and chorography: Minako Seki
Music and sound: Zam Johnson
Costume: Eyal Meistel
Light: Nils Willers
Length of the piece: 60 minutes, no break.