#１Pointe shoe painter Ree【Interview】

I had an experience working as a stage director assistant.  It was 6 months after I started that job. 

 

I became to get an image again and again that color spreads at my feet when I was dancing it started about six months later when I started first career as an assistant of stage manager.

Yes.  I got the image on my way to work.

 

It was a very mysterious thing. I did not understand the meanings.  And, after I experienced a stage director assistant for one year, I returned to dance.  I thought it might be good to try contemporary dance, not ballet. 

 

So I did not need toe shoes.

That’s right. There were a lot of toe shoes at my house, so I thought it was waste to throw away.

 

I wished other uses.  At that time, I had many time.  Because I quit the job of a stage director assistant.

 

About 3 months, I was doing various experiments.  For example, I went to dance lessons and tried what I came up with earnestly.

 

Moreover, I draw a picture with a music and imitated a dancing artist, and so on.  I draw a picture on my hands and arms.  So that when the arms are fit, the patterns are combined.

 

Also when it was raining, I dropped paint on the veranda.  Then color of paint was spreaded by rain.  Everything were my play.

Anyway I tried what I came up with.  I repeated such a thing, and one of them was a toe shoe.

 

I wondered that if I paint my toes and walk with it, what kind of footprints will appear?

Drawing paint with toe shoes was very slippery.  It was extremely dangerous.  I thought that I had better not do such a dangerous thing.  But it was fun.

 

The other day, there was a Christmas party at my mother’s house.  Then she told me. “Could you perform your dance?”

I also tried it in an audition.  Anyway, I wanted to try it.  But I failed the audition easily. haha.

Yes.  Whatever I thought, it was difficult to do such a things on the stage.  It was an audition where the street performers go to try.  As Bringing in paint was allowed, I tried.

 

However, I failed in the first examination easily.

 

Besides getting it clean up was very hard and took too much time.  I got clean it up next to people who pass an examination.  They was explained the next examination next to me. I was cleaning.

 

Crinkle crinkle crinkle… crinkle crinkle crinkle…haha.

I was very ashamed and could not stand it.  I came home with tears and tears.

No, I didn’t.  I couldn’t came up with such an idea.  I didn’t know what I can draw a circle.

Yes, I drew a point.

The judge was a German who has a character with sharp.  He said to me, “Is that all?  Dance more!”  

 

But I could not do improvisation dance at that time.  I needed a choreography.

Sure.  I was dancing for about 10 seconds and he said “Time is up!” hahaha.

It was a deep sad feeling.  Even if I came home, my regret did not go away.

 

So I was spreading and watching my picture again. And I remembered the judge’s word “Is that all ?”

 

Then I got a flash of lightning.  “Oh!! I can draw a line !”

I also drew a semicircle.  “Oh, I can also draw a circle !”  And, I lay down on my huge picture.

Yes.  I lay down.  Then I thought.

 

Oh yeah !  I can fight in the world !!

So I called my mother and told “Please wait uploading the movie of Pointe shoe painting to SNS.”  I did not want to be imitated by other people.

Sure. I didn’t want to be imitated.

 

If I open the work before I complete, for example, if there is a great team and they imitate my performance, I must regret it.

 

This is my chance fighting in the world.

After that, I joined a program “The artist residence” where about 50 artists joined.  I failed various auditions, but I passed only that audition. 

 

The program gave a space of about 9 square meters per person.  It was divided.  Do you know BankART Studio?

I joined the program and opened my performance in front of various artists.  Then everyone enjoyed it.

Everyone said “Who the hell is she?”  At that time, I performed on a small scale like 1 m × 1 m.

 

Then they told me “You should try it in a wider area.”  And I moved to a wide place as I was told by everyone.

I accepted everyone’s advice without argument.

 

I did not understand what is an artist like at all.  I wanted to study.  After a term of 3 months, there was a presentation in the last week.

 

Then I opened 5 m × 5 m performance for the first time.

Yeah.  But I was scared.

 

About two weeks before the performance, I felt the fear whether I can do  such a thing and asked me “Is it OK to do such a thing?”  I cried and said to the staff.  “I want to quit my performance.”

 

I made the staff really bothered.

Sure.  Because I felt scared.

I have never seen such a thing before, and never heard of it.  This is what I am about to do.　

 

May I do it??

The first thing is scary.

I thought “Can I really do it?”  I wonder what I can say. 

 

While we are growing up, the first experience gradually decrease.  Didn’t you have any experiences?

Yeah that’s right!  Such a feeling.

Exactly.

Sure.

That’s why I was struggle to do.

 

Preparation was so hard.  I carried a roll paper everyday.  I didn’t think about physical capacity at all.  It needed a lot of physical strength to carry 1.5m wide 10m roll paper.  It’s so heavy.  I carried it by myself and have to spread it.

 

After spreading, I paste the paper by using tapes for dozens of meters while becoming sweaty.  Moreover, I was dancing and dancing and I was covered with a lot of paint.  I cannot hold physically anymore.

My fear has gone somewhere!  Painting is amazing.

 

Someone said that painting is a therapy.

For example, there are a person who learned and paint a lot at a school specializing in art.  However, they leave from art after graduating.  Their therapy has finished.

But someone who can continue without being away is a crazy person.  The poison still remains in their body.

 

Their disease is heavy, or they should be a specialist by nature.  A talented person is something strange. haha.

I feel that poison will not come out for life.

Really?

Your therapy was over.