Dancer, choreographer and artist Saburo Teshigawara works in a time zone of his own. In the 24 years since he came on the dance scene, Teshigawara has transformed the definition of movement. His work with his group Karas and major international companies, including the Frankfurt Ballet and the Opera de Paris Ballet, have captivated audiences around the globe.
"Kazahana," his most recent professional work, is no exception. Embodying an unearthly calm his dancers alternate between speedy movements and sublime expression with breathtaking ease -- from melting undulations to jagged, limb-swinging abandon. Now back in his native Tokyo to present a re-creation of "Kazahana," Teshigawara took time off from rehearsals to tell The Japan Times about the concepts behind his work and where he sees himself in the world of dance.
The name of the piece, "Kazahana," means snowflakes falling from a very blue sky. It's an unusual image, and it made me think about special moments in time that appear unexpectedly; small miracles, in a way. The image of snow in a sky without clouds, just a very blue sky, makes me feel the fragility of beauty, and behind it, an unusual hyper-energy, beyond human control. So I think fragility and high power make a pair, with a very thin boundary between them. It's about sense of time in life as well, not just in dancing. Sense of time is very, very important in creating dance movement and building up the concept itself, and it is a main theme for this piece.