The foetus between us

The foetus between us

Dancer Kittiphon Udomrattanakulchai takes to the stage in a pregnancy-inspired butoh performance

SOCIAL & LIFESTYLE
The foetus between us

Dancer Kittiphon Udomrattanakulchai has literally found her muse within herself. A few months into her pregnancy, she became amazed and inspired by how her body had developed to protect the baby in her womb. That sense of wonder has turned into A Fetus’ Dream, an ongoing butoh performance at Crescent Moon Theatre.

To say that the cast consists of six instead of five performers is technically most accurate — the eight-months pregnant Kittiphon directs and leads the show with her baby inside her.

“The baby symbolises our dreams or hopes in life,” said Kittiphon. “Watching my body grow and develop to protect the baby got me thinking about how well we take care of our dreams. As we get older, with so many responsibilities in life, I wonder if the dreams that enrich our soul are still there.”

Butoh is a Japanese form of dance consisting of intense physical-based movements, of which Kittiphon is one of the foremost practitioners in Thailand. The Kittiphon giving the interview and the Kittiphon on stage are completely different personalities. When she talks, her words are soft and sweet. When she rehearses or dances, she’s lost in her own world, an ethereality surrounds her.

Kittiphon, 34, studied mass communications for her bachelor’s degree and began her acting career under the guidance of veteran director and actress Patravadee Mejudhon. She first acted in typical plays, but later felt that words could at times be limiting, that more could be said through body movement.

A 1999 performance by Japanese butoh master Katsura Kan at Democracy Monument struck her, and still shapes her as an artist over a decade later.

“It was a surprise; it was a shock. Time just stopped,” Kittiphon said. “Everything was just so peaceful and quiet. What other kind of work can make you feel that way?”

Kittiphon said butoh is a kind of dance in which dancers are the ones discovering the movements for themselves. The actors paint themselves completely white to eliminate a sense of individualism.

“On stage I am not Kittiphon,” she said. “I could be you; I could be anybody. So it’s just about the work itself and the audience.”

After Kittiphon saw the Democracy Monument show, she began looking for more ways to experience butoh. But there were only a few short workshops by visiting masters, so she decided to learn more about the dance form by trying her hand at it on her own, resulting in a series of small butoh productions.

“I just tried working on it without knowing much about it,” Kittiphon said. “As expected, the results weren’t quite right.”

She later earned her master’s degree in psychology, and began adapting elements of the subject into her performances.

In 2009, she led the cast of a large butoh production called For 49 Days: A Mind Journey Beyond Death at Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, which explored the state of the mind beyond death. It was a breakthrough in her career. The success, however, put a temporary end to her relationship with her long-term boyfriend. In the production, she performed half-nude, with a painted upper-half. Her boyfriend was among the shocked audience. It was the first time he realised she would appear on stage this way.

“I took my top off, painted my body white,” Kittiphon said, laughing. “People were shocked — my boyfriend and I broke up. But we’re now back together and are having a baby. It’s just one of those moments when I wanted to discover butoh. I wanted to understand it, to understand its philosophy.”

The couple remained separated for about two years. Kittiphon said it was the result of a lack of communication — and perhaps Thai society not quite being ready for what she was trying to say.

“He just couldn’t accept it. He was glad that I got to do what I love, but deep down I guess he felt like there wasn’t any respect on my part. But it was just one conflict. Now we’re back together, got married and are having our baby because deep down we know we love each other.”

This time around, her husband is full of support for A Fetus’ Dream. Kittiphon has also consulted with a doctor, who has given her the go ahead, so long as she takes good care of herself and makes sure to get plenty of rest. Because she’s heavily pregnant, the production’s most intense movements will performed by other dancers, with Kittiphon taking a slower, more gentle role.

“With this performance, I get to communicate with my baby through movement. We have come up with something creative together. I’m recording the show and will show it to her one day. She will probably say, ‘What a weird thing you did, mom'.”


A Fetus’ Dream is showing today and from Aug 14-17 at 7.30pm at Crescent Moon Theatre, Pridi Bhanomyong Institute, Soi Thong Lor. Tickets cost 550 baht. Call 099-352-3092.

Scenes from A Fetus’ Dream.

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