Kool: Dancing In My Mind

Robert Wilson, Director

2010 | 30 | Short

A visually stunning and moving tribute from legendary theater director Robert Wilson to his long-time collaborator, Japanese choreographer and performer Suzushi Hanaygi. Filmmaker Richard Rutkowski follows Wilson to Osaka, where he finds Hanayagi in the advanced stages of dementia, confined to a wheel chair and barely able to remember her tremendous stage career. A treasured creative partner for over 20 years - beginning with the Wilson/David Byrne collaboration The Knee Plays in 1984 - Hanayagi was a major influence on Bob Wilson, who called her simply "my teacher." Determined to create a new work with her, Wilson employs elegant video portraits of Suzushi, visually exquisite archival imagery, and recreations of her work with fellow dancer Carla Blank to create a performance-portrait for premiere at the Guggenheim Museum. Sensitive in its observations of aging in the arts, this film witnesses the process of letting go and the transition of a life from vibrancy to legacy.