In Japanese, there is a saying "geijutsu no aki." Literally, it means "artistic autumn"; in practice it means autumn is the best time to enjoy the arts, when the weather is pleasant and bright before the hectic and cold yearend. This month -- with many foreign dance companies and contemporary performance groups passing through Japan -- is an ideal time to escape your routine and voyage into unknown artistic realms.
My own "artistic autumn" has gotten off to a flying start thanks to productions by two French contemporary dance companies that trod the boards at the Setagaya Public Theater (SEPT) in Sangenjyaya over the last two weeks as part of the glittering France Danse 03 festival.
The first of these was "Les applaudissements ne se mangent pas (We Cannot Eat Applause)" by the Lyons-based Maguy Marin company. Here, on a stage ringed by hanging bolts of material in primary colors, four male and four female dancers in regular street clothes seemed to appear and disappear, running, colliding, tumbling, wrestling and writhing. They were totally absorbing in their masterful timing, choreography and athletic grace. The concept, it appeared, intended to say something about confrontation in a competitive world, about self-interest and the transience of power. But however you chose to interpret it, this was a dance feast for the senses.