Presenting curtain calls from notable performances
The curtain call is an unforgettable moment in which the final moments of a performance intermingle with the performer returning from fiction to reality. In this curtain call from the premiere of Admiring La Argentina in 1977, the director Tatsumi Hijikata himself appears onstage and presents a bouquet to Ohno.
Featuring: Kazuo Ohno, Tatsumi Hijikata, Yoshito Ikeda
Kazuo Ohno (1906~2010)
A legendary dancer who spread Butoh to the world. After meeting Tatsumi Hijikata at the end of the 1950s, he diverged from Western-influenced modern dance to a more physical expression that focussed on the Japanese body and identity. He retired from the stage in 1967 and became immersed the creation of experimental films, before returning with Admiring La Argentina in 1977. In 1980 at the age of 73, he debuted this performance overseas. He continued to dance until his death at the age of 103, and became a great influence on many famous artists, including Pina Bausch.
Admiring La Argentina (1977)
Kazuo Ohno's solo performance, directed by Tatsumi Hijikata. It premiered at the Dai-ichi Seimei Hall in Tokyo in November 1977, and was performed 119 times worldwide until 1994. The performance was composed in admiration of "La Argentina", referring to the Spanish dancer Antonia Mercé, otherwise known as La Argentina. Kazuo saw her perform at the Imperial Theatre, Tokyo in 1929 and was incredibly moved. After the Europe tour in 1980, he incorporated two songs into the performance in which Mercé plays the castanets.
Curtain Call 1977 Dai-ichi Seimei Hall
Admiring La Argentina
Dai-ichi Seimei Hall (Tokyo, Japan), 1977
Performed by Kazuo Ohno
Directed by Tatsumi Hijikata
Tango performance by Mitsuo Ikeda and Los Amigos
Filmed by Video Information Center
Footage provided courtesy of Keio University Art Center
Edited for this program by Naoto Iina
Subtitle text: Toshio Mizohata
Subtitle translation: Mai Honda
© Video Information Center / Movie courtesy of Keio University Art Center Archives