Unfolding Kafka Festival 2024
„Working with the dancers felt like casting a spell“
The Unfolding Kafka Festival opened with Fon Farang, an evocative performance by choreographer, dancer, and countertenor Juan Kruz Díaz de Garaio Esnaola in collaboration with the festival’s director, Jitti Chompee. Supported by the Goethe-Institut Thailand, the production weaves together traditional Molam music, contemporary dance, and themes of identity.
After the premiere, we sat down with the de Garaio Esnaola to discuss the inspirations behind the work, his creative collaboration with Thai artists, and how Fon Farang fosters a dialogue between cultures while deepening his ongoing exploration of identity.
Helena Lang: Congratulations on opening the festival yesterday and on your mesmerizing performance! Your project was supported by the Goethe-Institut Thailand, and it wasn’t the first time you had worked with the institute. Before this year’s Unfolding Kafka Festival, you were in Bangkok last December to hold a workshop.
Juan Kruz Díaz de Garaio Esnaola: Thank you! Yes, this is my fourth collaboration with the Goethe-Institut Thailand, starting back in 1997 with Sasha Waltz's Southeast Asia tour. Last year's workshop was research for this year's Unfolding Kafka Festival project.
HL: Your general artistic practice is concerned with the exploration and investigation of identity. In Fon Farang, I had the impression that you were exploring different kinds of identities, both individual and collective. Could you tell us more about the structure?
JKDGE: The performance is a cohesive work structured around five distinct musical pieces, each with its own identity and theme. Identity does indeed play an important role. Last year I met with Molam musicians to understand their music, particularly its cultural and ceremonial aspects tied to healing and processing emotional experiences. I aimed to contribute without imposing a Western viewpoint, ensuring both Thai and Western identities remained distinct yet enhanced each other. It became more than an exchange—it was a conversation, with all its complexities that it entails: misunderstandings, frictions, and moments of shared understanding.
HL: Were the musical pieces composed specifically for your performance, or did they already exist?
JKDGE: They were pre-existing pieces. We chose pieces from the Molam musicians' repertoire, opting to retain their authenticity. Rather than altering the music, I used metaphors and imagery to see if that could subtly shift their performance, giving it new dimensions while respecting the original form. The music itself is highly improvised, based on familiar melodies but with lots of repetition to create a trance-like effect intended to transform both the performers and the audience.
HL: Many of the movements suggest a loss of control over the body. One sequence that particularly stood out was when the dancers approached you, one by one, as if you were taking away their awareness of their bodies. Are these movements partly reactions to the music, and to what extent are you guided by it?
JKDGE: There are indeed improvised sections, though the overall structure is carefully planned. Allowing space for spontaneity lets the performance stay true to its purpose, much like how music in ceremonies encourages healing through altered states. With the dancers, I aimed to introduce a new way of understanding their bodies. Surrendering control, such as when falling, forces you to let go of learned movement patterns. Working with the dancers felt like casting a “spell”—guiding them to move in transformative ways. The music we chose was based on bird sounds, and the vocalist improvised lyrics about birds while the dancers were in a vulnerable position, relying on my guidance. For me, this was a huge responsibility. The dancers had to trust me not only for safety but also to let go of cultural boundaries, like touching someone’s body. Overcoming these barriers requires full surrender and letting go of self-censorship to express freely.
HL: The theme of falling was also present in your workshop last year at the Goethe-Institut Thailand. Was this a form of preparation for developing your performance?
JKDGE: Yes. Falling has always been a recurring theme in my work, because I think it’s one of the most vertiginous, fear-inducing experiences we have. In contemporary dance, we approach falling quite often. There is a technique for it—how to fall correctly—but there’s also an intuitive knowledge in the body about falling. This instinctive knowledge teaches the body how to fall safely, even without consciously thinking about it. Falling isn't just physical—it carries a metaphysical and philosophical dimension as well. It's this imagery and the idea of losing control that interests me.
HL: I find this theme captivating: In dance, falling becomes a powerful form of expression, yet in everyday life, it’s often perceived as something negative. Could you share more about how you shaped the creative process with the Thai musicians? Were there any particular challenges or unexpected insights during your collaboration?
JKDGE: There were many challenges, particularly with translation and dialects. The musicians were improvisers, so we balanced their freedom with maintaining a consistent flow for the performance. We didn’t dictate every note, but guided them to replicate feelings, ensuring consistency without stifling their creativity. Despite having only a few days for recordings and rehearsals, the process went smoothly. The musicians, especially senior Khaen master Sombat Simla, were eager to explore something new and found excitement in the collaboration. I hope the dancers and musicians take something meaningful from the project that expands their practice.
HL: Were there any musical or dance motifs that inspired you? Apart from the music, are there any other motifs from Thai culture that you took up in Fon Farang?
JKDGE: What inspired me in the music we chose was its constant flow. Unlike Western music, where phrasing, is created by the punctuation of the silence created when the sound gets interrupted with the musician's inhalation, Molam flows continuously. The drone provides a constant pulse, creating a trance-like effect through repetition, which influenced my movement choices. It reminded me of a techno rave, where you surrender to the music, and it just takes over. As for Thai culture, I didn’t want to adopt elements superficially. I focused on fewer aspects, immersing myself deeply and asking Jitti to guide me. It wasn’t about intellectualizing the experience, but about immersing myself fully and then seeing how I could communicate with and relate to what I was encountering, while keeping my own identity. I didn’t pretend to be Thai or fully understand everything. Many things were beyond my grasp, but I found beauty and power in that not-knowing.
HL: You grew up in the Basque Country, which has a unique identity shaped by its location between France and Spain and its own language. I’m curious how this background has influenced your exploration of identity in your artistic practice.
JKDGE: It’s interesting that you ask, because my next project will deal with that question. I left the Basque Country when I was 18, driven by a need to pursue my studies—there was no opportunity to train as a countertenor there. The next project I’m working on is with a Basque dancer who specializes in traditional Basque dance. He’s trying to bring those traditional forms into a contemporary context, and we’re collaborating on this exploration of identity. This project will touch on your question about my roots and how I reconnect with them, despite my many years abroad.
HL: That sounds quite intriguing, especially the idea of "rerouting" yourself. Having lived abroad for so long, you must be caught between two worlds, coming back to something familiar but also transformed by your experiences.
JKDGE: Yes, I’m excited but also a bit nervous. Revisiting something so deeply connected to my essence is a little daunting. There are parts of my past that I’ve let go of, or let scar over, but I think exploring them again will be very interesting.
HL: Thank you so much for taking the time to share your insights of your performance it was really a pleasure to be part of the opening and see your work!
JKDGE: Thank you!