As a writer for Discover Nikkei, I have had the privilege of interviewing and connecting with other Nikkei individuals, each with their own stories and experiences. I have been able to connect with visionary artists and creatives, whose diverse Japanese backgrounds have influenced their works, from filmmaking to art. Most recently, I caught up with dancer and choreographer Robyn Mineko Williams about her latest intersecting and intimate projects. Her unique, captivating, and deeply personal yet relatable project Hisako’s House is an immersive artistic and cinematic experience centered around the memories and atmosphere of her late Japanese American grandmother’s mid-century home in Illinois. 

Robyn Mineko Williams, a Chicago-based artist, was a member of River North and Hubbard Street dance companies, both in Chicago, for 12 years. For the last 12 to 13 years, she has worked as a choreographer, producing a variety of works, mostly involving smaller casts and spanning diverse styles, with an emphasis on movements being generated instinctually “from the inside and expressing out” rather than “fitting into a specific form.”  

It was exciting to talk to Robyn about her works and dance in general, since I was a dancer myself growing up. The dancers featured in her works demonstrate impressive versatility, artistry, and emotion, captivating audiences and propounding meaningful connections between history, culture, and human experience.

Williams describes her works as largely reflecting what can be described as memories held in the body, including certain experiences, people, and sensations. In addition, most of her works, including Hisako’s House, are not “linear in timeline,” do not have an obvious storyline, and involve “a lot of feelings.” She describes the process as being like sculpting, creating and expressing movements, visuals, and emotions to form a whole gradually, bit by bit. 

Hisako’s House is showcased in two versions. One is a documentary-style film showcasing a small cast of professional dancers, shot inside Williams’ grandmother’s home, the Nishimura residence. The other is a 50 minute “live, immersive performance of music and movement” in the same location, an intimate venue that makes the audience feel like they are a part of the performance.

Williams describes the development of Hisako’s House as an organic process inspired by the relationship she had with her grandmother, who she was able to spend more time with during the height of the COVID pandemic. Her grandmother shared stories of her time in a concentration camp during World War II. During this time, Robyn realized how disconnected she was from Japanese American culture. She says that learning from and spending time with her grandmother during this time strongly shaped the project that would become Hisako’s House. 

Robyn mentions some specific memories she has of her grandmother in the Nishimura residence. She describes how the house was where her grandmother “talked on the phone, cooked Japanese curry, and yelled at the kids.” These memories for her are “tangible and visceral” and inspired the creative process of making the house come to life. 

I asked Robyn about where the theme for Hisako’s House was inspired or originated. She answered that it comes from the house itself as well as the music. She mentioned memories of the songs her grandparents, Japanese Americans who were incarcerated during the war, would listen to. The mid-century component also influenced the visuals in the project, along with the element of nature and its importance in daily life. Ultimately, she says, it “has to do with the time we’re making it and the people involved.” 

For Hisako’s House, she also noted that she didn’t hire lighting or costume designers and instead “did it all with a couple of friends.” The importance of her collaborators and inspirations strongly influence her works, and she “wouldn’t like to do anything without them,” she says. Having a great team of people, she explains, makes things come to life.  

As for Williams’ feelings towards dance, she describes how she loves it because she has been “inside of it, close to it” rather than just watching it. Robyn says she wants people to experience this feeling as well. Hisako’s House accomplishes this by its unique performance style, in which the audience becomes a part of the experience instead of simply observing it.

The stunning visuals, cinematography, and choreography all come together to produce a powerful artistic experience that is not limited to one interpretation or story, but rather, opens the door to different connections and ways of resonating with all walks of life. 

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Learn more about Robyn’s works at https://www.robynminekowilliams.com/rmwa. The live performance of Hisako’s House ran through August 2024 at the Nishimura Residence in Lombard, IL. The documentary is in production and will include interviews, film, music, dance, and archival research.

© 2024 Emily Hood