Poc a Poc
Company: cuerpo transitorio
Title: POC A POC (2006)
Butoh-dance in public spaces
Cast: Rosana Barra, Celeste Ayus, Federo Fonseca, Gabriel Galvez, Giomar Burgos
“Poc a Poc” translates as one step at a time, no rush, slowly, slowly.
We danced in the street for more than an hour, walking in slow motion in an urban area, alongside large blocks of houses. The choreography was designed for 3 to 5 dancers to perform in one space or in two simultaneous spaces.
The aim was to challenge the public’s observation, to question the way they see things, by creating other ways of seeing and understanding through a scenic act. It was an interactive project and the public was able to join in.
To do this we used the Butoh dance method. Butoh is a form of Japanese dance theatre which uses ‘reduction’, such as stillness and slow motion. Embodied slow motion can heighten the awareness of the audience to the detail of movement, and it can explore timeframes beyond the everyday. Reduction or distillation heightens presence, though stillness and slow motion themselves do not account for the absolute presence associated with butoh. Often observed as a kind of ‘trance’, it is more accurate to say the butoh dancer is in a state of ‘hyper-presence’, aware of everything going on around them and within their own body.
