I first saw Ko Murobushi performing in Impulstanz festival in Vienna in 2011. The performance was called “Mu(s) – krypt blues” and it was a collaboration with three musicians from France and Rwanda. I found his performance very different from what I had witnessed until that moment. I found it raw and I was struck by his presence and his “alien” body. His unconventional approach to art and movement made me curious to meet him.

My first encounter with Ko Murobushi took place in 2014 in an audition context in Paris. And later in 2015 I had the opportunity to work with him on his new creation entitled “Nijinski a minuit». Unfortunately, the creation was left unfinished due to Ko’s sudden death.

I was thrilled when Kimiko Watanabe wrote to me with the proposition to take part in “Responding to Ko Murobushi” research project.

I thought that in order to respond to Ko Murobushi it was important to travel to his homeland and to experience some of his experiences. That’s why I’m very grateful that I had the opportunity to visit the North of Japan and meet a yamabushi monk since Ko had experienced a yamabushi practice in the past.

Before arriving in Tokyo I went through some of the Ko Murobushi’s archive and watched some of his performances and interviews.

What kept my attention was Ko’s saying in one of his interviews that he wants to disappear through dance. I felt immediate affinity to this impossible idea and I was curious to research on the notion of disappearance.

How could one possibly disappear through dance? That was my question. Maybe in order to disappear you need to appear. Disappear through the transformation from one form to other, from one self to another.

I had always a fascination with the stage and the idea of the performance. I always felt as if I’m getting in touch with an unknown source and rediscover myself.

The outcome of this first research was a performance “About disappearing”. It deals with the theme of transformation through the constant deaths and rebirths of the self. It explores the process towards self knowledge through the disappearance of the self and the connection with the collective unconscious.

In this performance the movement coexists with the scenery and the sound in order to create a landscape in which the sense of time expands. This work is an attempt to prolong the time before it disappears in the vacuum of time.

I’m becoming small almost microscopic, I’m becoming no one thus I’m becoming the other.

The overall experience of the “Responding to Ko Murobushi” research project was very inspiring for me. I believe that I have just touched the surface towards the attempt to decipher and get closer to Ko Murobushi’s world and I wish for a continuation.