"A geisha contains art within herself, and because her body is this art, her life is saved. That is the power of art---salvation of the soul," says Mayumi, a geisha interviewed in the book Geisha: The Life, The Voices, The Art by Jodie Cobb. Because I feel like I wasn't able to really indulge into the artistry of Geishas in my presentation, I thought I would write a blog about it. The Geisha is the face of Japan, one of the most recognizable images in the world. But the actual role of the geisha is quite misunderstood. I had always assumed that a geisha was just a high class prostitute. However, as I read more about them and their lifestyle, I realize this is a huge misconception. "A man becomes a geisha's patron as a secondhand way of acquiring art. He just acquires the person who performs the art," says Mayumi. Geisha's are in fact bought, and some of their clients do engage in sexual intercourse with them, but they are not seen as prostitutes. Rather, they are trained to be seen as pieces of art. Training begins at a very early age and the success of their training is correlated to the success of their lives. If a geisha is trained well in dance, music, literature, and overall entertaining, she will most likely be sponsored by a wealthier man.
As I studied more about their lifestyles, I couldn't help by compare their lives to the lives of contemporary American actors. While we are not trained as pieces of artwork, we are striving for as much training as we can in order to prosper in careers. We are all now at a point in our careers where acting has turned from a fun past-time to a career. Unlike many other occupations, a career in acting can easily alter many other life-decisions including relationship choices, what city to live in, and even what to do to our bodies. There have been many times I wanted a hair cut but opted out in fear it might hurt my chances at an audition. This seems silly to my non-theatre friends, but many other actors have made similar compromising decisions. While the life of a geisha is more intense in those decisions, there are similarities. Actors themselves have had a history of prostitution, and in a way, we still sell ourselves to the highest bidder and the best job.
I also wanted to post this video. It is from a Mad TV sketch satirizing Memoirs of a Geisha. The ideas in this sketch come two-fold, because traditionally men play women onstage in Japanese theatre (the onagata) and in Japan there is nothing unusual about this. However, in America, a man playing a woman is usually connected directly with comedy.
1 comment:
LOL I had to comment on this particular blog!
The Mad TV sketch is hysterical. We Americans have always had an infatuation with the geisha. I too thought it was primarily a prostitute role. Thank you for showing me the truth.
As an Actor I have always felt much like a prostitute. We do things to our bodies in movement class no one would expect others to do.
We give up many things in life for our careers. I have missed my sisters wedding, My great great aunts funeral, and the births of my nephews because the theatre does not always allow one to leave when working in it.
Does a geisha have the choice as we do to follow this course of life or is she born into it? That is what makes our job different. We can quit and try something else if it doesn't work out.
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