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.