CONTEMPORARY DANCE 

Co. Ruri Moto (Japan): Matou and Where We Are Born

Matou — Ruri Mito

In Japanese, the word ‘matou’ encompasses several direct meanings: to wear, put on, tangle and roll up. But used figuratively, ‘matou’ also describes the moment your life flashes before your eyes in a near-death experience. It sounds like ‘willing to wait’ in Japanese, while ‘tsuki-matou’ means ‘to haunt’.

In Matou, dancer and choreographer Ruri Mito’s solo performance, she explores the body as a mysterious, haunted vessel, unable to be understood or seen in its entirety as cells continuously die and regenerate. By placing her own body under the microscope, Mito explores the curious invisible fabrics of the human body.

Where we were born — Co. Ruri Mito

In Where we were born, Mito continues to scrutinize and explore the body as the very definition of human existence. Where we were born, choreographed by Ruri Mito and performed by ensemble Co. Ruri Mito, weaves and unravels delicately and intricately connected dancers, creating one kaleidoscopic body.