Minako Seki: about life, dance and Butoh

In this episode Romina Achatz is in conversation with dancer,
director, dance teacher and choreographer Minako Seki who is also
practicing meditation, cooking macrobiotic food and also teaching
Japanese traditional healing techniques. At the moment she is the
choreographer of WOYZECK at the Nationale Theater Düsseldorf. She
speaks about her life's journey, how dance found her, Butoh, her
holistic approach to life, her teaching and fulfilling her
dreams. She speaks about her upcoming book that she and Jessica
Cottee wrote. It's called THE SEKI METHOD, Illustrated by Lili
Lenfant. Romina Achatz is also the author of an essay in Minako
Seki's new book called "Thoughts on imagination". For the episode
of FEMPOEM she reads the introduction of Minako Seki's book as
well as from her essay. Performer and producer Rachel Alvarez
Rodriguez also reads a part of the book. Minako Seki and Romina
Achatz were holding lectures together at the University of
Frankfurt, Tanzfabrik Berlin- and are cooperating again
theoretically through the book.


Minako Seki aspires with her dance to the space inbetween. It is
not only title of her work but the request of her dance and
choreography. With her dance she explores the mystery between
body, space, time and human soul. She is interested in perception
and effects of energy -potentials, like they exist in the state
before an avalanche breaks through or a pendular swings back.


Minako Seki stills feels the same joy and curiosity of life now
as in the age of 7. The see sparkling eyes makes her feel
fullfilled. She feels like she was destined to be a dancer and
feels very happy living her destiny every day.


Further Information:


Minako started her dance career in Tokyo with the Company Dance
Love Machine, under the artistic direction of Tetsuro Tamura and
Anzu Furukawa. Since 1987, Minako Seki has been working as a
director and choreographer in increasingly interdisciplinary
projects. She has been continuously interested in the crossing
over of diverse disciplines and dance styles. She developed
her own fusion of contemporary dance and physical theater
with the classic Butoh dance technique. In her pieces, Seki
examines the communication amongst the conscious and
subconscious and describes emotional states on the borders of
reality and illusion. Besides her artistic career, Minako Seki is
devoted to teaching. She facilitates intensive dance
workshops worldwide, through a holistic program. She also
lectured in a number of universities such as Folkwang University
in Essen, Justus Liebig Universität in Giessen, Germany,
University of Andes in Chile, University of Vigo in Spain and
Roehampton University in London.





Recorded Nov.2024