BEFORE THE LAW
Cerulean Tower Noh Theatre, Tokyo Japan.
Before the Law commissioned by Fabula Collective. The solo was part of the Elevation program premiering in Tokyo, Japan at The Cerulean Tower Noh Theatre.
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“The solo was inspired by the short story Before The Law by Franz Kafka. The eight minute solo embodies the character of man and the conflict within himself to go beyond the gate. There is an intense pull and push within the essence of this story.”
James Pett
“Law is supposed to be important in society, but on the other hand it is what binds us. When we understand the law with our consciousness there is a gate and is guarded by guards so we cannot pass there. But when we realise the voice of the guard is in fact our unconsciousness we learn that this concept of law is created by and for ourselves.”
Yukiko Tsukamoto (Fabula Collective Director)
BEFORE THE LAW
Commissioned by: Fabula Collective
Choreographer: James Pett
Dancer: James Pett
Premiered: The Cerulean Tower Noh Theatre, Tokyo Japan, 21st May
Year: 2019
Composer: Sigur Ros & Kjartan Holm
Lighting Designer:
Costume Designer: Yukiko Tsukamoto
Filmography: Sudo Takaki
Images: Akihito Abe & Scott Shaw
The whole experience of creating Elevation, a triple bill performance with only two dancers, myself and Travis, was initially quite daunting. It was important to us, through hard work and perseverance, to find a strong central voice within the whole show, and not just try to impress the Japanese audiences with a dance spectacle. Through the combination of expressive contemporary dance mixed with the traditional Japanese Noh Theatre, we managed to present a very spiritual performance. Mixing the history and deep Japanese culture represented by the Noh Theatre and modern, fresh contemporary dance from the West was a totally new and very enlightening experience for myself as a young artist.
