A journey of love by Yuka Oishi
A journey of love by Yuka Oishi
“My ballet isn’t an exact interpretation of The other song of dance, a book which Maurice Béjart started writing in 1972 in a small apartment in Brussels while listening to Mahler’s 3rd Symphony, which inspired him to do new work. It reflects a process of being inspired by a book where the Master questions his own existence, his life’s struggles, and his realizations. He writes about his dreams and his love of dance.
I was surprised when I opened the book at the table of contents page and read the chapter titles: “Dance 1”, “Dance 2”, etc… Intuitively, I started imagining some kind of dance while reading. From that moment, it became obvious that I had to give shape to his imaginary words, to dreams, and that this could only be danced by the Béjart Ballet Lausanne. For the music, my research taught me that the work, which had no title, was once called … “Dreams”. I no longer needed to look for my ballet’s musical inspiration.
Back in 2018, when I choreographed 空 Ku for the BBL, I was deeply impressed and moved by the way the dancers carry on this journey with passion to convey this vision of dance. I came up with the idea to express the different emotions that arise in all of us, the different types of love and light that lie in the soul, invisible to the eye but always there.
My piece features a range of characters, animals, nature and angels. The dancers don’t stick to one role but change many times… just like the emotions and energy we put in all things are also constantly evolving. I’m not afraid of these changes: I want to keep moving forward with the visions and inspirations that come to me all the time.
The other song of dance is also my way of paying homage to the creator, to Gil Roman and to those who carry forth the idea of a precise, open, profound and generous dance. As a creator, I believe that my mission is to weave and share the past, present and future. As I write these lines, I’m still engaged in the creative process, but I have a feeling that it will be a “journey of love”…”
