Vangeline — Photo by Matthew Placek— All rights reserved
Vangeline (France) in Hijikata, Mon Amour (70 minutes)
Created in 2019 in celebration of Butoh’s 60th anniversary. An homage to founder of butoh Tatsumi Hijikata. Vangeline performs in an exact replica of Tatsumi Hijikata’s 1968 costume (Hijikata and the Japanese: Revolt of the Body). Costume recreated by Todd Thomas.
In 2019, Butoh artist Vangeline created Hijikata Mon Amour, a solo piece featuring the replica of Tatsumi Hijikata’s costume (recreated by Todd Thomas). The piece premiered October 24 through October 26, 2019, at the New York Butoh Institute Festival at Theater for the New City and received critical acclaim from the New York Press.
“ If you’ve seen one Butoh show you’ve seen them all— but you’ve never seen anything like Vangeline. Her bid to plant Butoh in the West, in female form, is ballsy and beautiful, unexpected and right.
— Dance View Times — Tom Philips —October 26, 2019”
Vangeline in Hijikata Mon Amour at Theater for the New City. October 24, 2019. Photo by Michael Blase
“ A challenging yet triumphant experience for both performer and viewer. Hijikata would have been proud.
— Broadway World— Cindy Siblinsky—November 11, 2019”
In 1968 came a turning point in Butoh’s history with a dance solo called Tatsumi Hijikata and The Japanese - Revolt of the Flesh, performed by the founder of Butoh Tatsumi Hijikata in Tokyo. For the legendary performance, Tatsumi Hijikata wore a spectacular red costume, which was presumably made by hand by his wife, Akiko Motofuji. The long, ruffled costume was inspired by flamenco dance. Since 1968, it has captured the imagination of hundreds of Butoh enthusiasts worldwide. Until today, there were only black and white photographs available of this magnificent costume.
Tatsumi Hijikata 1968 costume. Photo by Matthew Placek. All rights reserved.
In 2019, thanks to the Janet Arnold Award of the Society of Antiquaries of London and a loan from the Tatsumi Hijikata Archives, Vangeline Theater/ New York Butoh Institute researched how the costume was designed by recreating it. The costume was professionally photographed by Matthew Placek, and recreated by costume designer extraordinaire Todd Thomas. Read the full story here.
Vangeline in recreated costume by Todd Thomas. Photo by Matthew Placek.
By wearing this iconic costume, Vangeline conjures up Butoh’s ghosts. She dives into Butoh as a permeable art form that has reached across geographic and cultural divides. The costume becomes a physical symbol of butoh’s evolution — East to West, man to woman, past to future.
Costumes are an essential part of the magic of performances. This costume has become part of the legacy of Butoh and is a historical treasure. As such, Vangeline Theater/ New York Butoh Institute gives it its rightful place in history by documenting it for future generations.
We are grateful to The Tatsumi Hijikata Archives, who made a generous loan of this historical costume for the duration of the project.
This project was made possible by a Janet Arnold Award from the Society of Antiquaries of London. This program was also supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council as well as the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.
