above: June’s father Naoyoshi Tsukida practiced Noh theatre throughout his life, including at Heart Mountain Concentration Camp.
Marty Sohl
right: June Watanabe’s piece, Heian , 1993, described as a commentary on the survival of a woman’s human spirit under the layers of a kimono, representing the bondage of womanhood since the medieval Heian period in Japan. Rooted in a reclamation of her Japanese ancestry, the piece begins with more traditional Noh choreography that evolves into more contemporary styles as layers are lifted. below right and left: Heian was part of a trilogy of pieces, including E0 9066, 1989, below, centred on the story of the internment, and White Ashes ,1986, right, a tribute to her father on his deathbed, in which June speaks to her relationship with her father and her journey to re-embrace her Japanese heritage. Throughout her career June Watanabe produced a series of choreographed works, each unfolding a new layer of her identity, embracing her heritage and healing through the trauma of the internment.
‘My life informs my dance and my dance informs my life.’
Marty Sohl
Marty Sohl
27 on site review 47 :: standing still
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