There were many non-human witnesses at our ritual butoh pilgrimage on 11/11. Here is one reflection from a human one:I came to the ll-ll event as witness, with only a conceptual awareness of its messages & form. These are fragments of my reflections.
The experience was both moving & a visual feast. The dancers proved a valuable bridge to connect me with the salmons efforts & experiences. The gauze masked faces removed the distraction of the dancers humanity, rendering them more as salmon spirits.
The wriggling travel prone to the ground gave tangibility to the difficulty of the salmons journey home. The presence of the roadway reminded me of the dams & obsticals our species places befor them.
In the forest I stood with the dance on my left & the stream with salmon struggling on my right. This was a profound moment as I seemed to stand in two worlds and belong to both at once.
The frenzy of the spawning ground & final death was a sobering time emphisized by Debra's contributions. Death at the end of such struggle, with the gains of the spring rebirth remote, seemed a sad waste of such effort.
JOY! BIRTH! INFANT HOOD ! GROWTH ! STRENGTH! BEAUTIFUL LIFE!
The awakening dance said all! To be a child again!
Arrival at the burn site & homage to its meaning was very moving. I felt sorrow & shame for the dark shroud our species casts over all other life forms, over the salmon.
Thru-out the dance the presence of salmon & eagle acted as exclaimation points to the dance.
Return to the sea was especially impactful as Momo closed the silver skin around her & sank into the water, seeming to become salmon & sea, the beginning of lifes journey into the open world to continue the ageless dance again.
Thankyou All !!
John Lorette
so wonderful to read your perspective, john! wearing the gauzy orange covering was a powerful experience, too... a veil blurring the lines between what is seen as real and what is not... enabling the ability to dance the fine line between being of this body and of being other in the form of salmon / spirit... love your reflections - thank you!!!
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