Kunji Ikeda - Raskolnikov Blog

How much information do we need?

In my physical exploration between dance and theatre, I am enjoying the fine line between too much and not enough information.

Tim Nguyen Photography

Within my work you’ll see in PROSPECTS I will be offering a physical monologue from a character-driven work. The work “Raskolnikov” is born from a physical adaptation of the lead character in Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment, specifically the unfolding of his warped logic around the societal structure, and the limitations it offers to those not born to a high-status family. In the novel, Raskolnikov writes an impassioned article that questions why certain members of society have broken free, and re-written certain laws and structures. The classic idea is Napoleon Bonaparte, but we don’t have far to look into recent history to see political leaders who have turned their back on a system and have been celebrated by a large part of their community.

In unfolding this physical language I hope to offer physical motifs that directly and indirectly return our thoughts to the spoken language. I aim to let the physical ideas grow and shift in such a way that offers a clear insight into how a ‘good person’ can be slowly seduced by egotistical nihilism. I hope the work resonates within the pleasure of the eye, the folds on the mind, and the impulses in the gut.

This solo “Raskolnikov” will be developed and presented within a full-length digital work “Crime and Punishment” in July 2021, with further dreams to be tour-ready for 2022. The opportunity to share with my artistic peers across the country is one of the precious silver-linings of our industry within the current health and safety restrictions. I am thrilled to offer some verbal, non-verbal, and physical communication through performance. 

I promise you won’t get all of the information... but I hope you get the information you need.

Prospects: an evening of dance and discussion presents

Raskolnikov

Choreographed by Kunji Ikeda
Thursday, March 25th 2021
8PM
Hosted on ZOOM
$20 General Admission | $40 Pay it Forward | PWYC
Get tickets here!