Butoh [bu-tō], is known to many as the “Dance of Darkness,” rising from the ashes of post-World War II Japan it is a grotesque and extreme form of dance that shocked audiences with its disturbing movements and graphic sexual allusions when it began back in the 1950s.
People are sometimes disturbed by the intensity and rawness of Butoh.
At the time the country was devastated by fire and steeped in radiation, this dance conveyed the distress the nation was feeling at the time, wading through a thick atmosphere in slow motion, painted head to toe in white, their faces and bodies writhe and shudder like living corpses. Death, violence, sex, insanity and demons collide in a hopeless world. It makes for uncomfortable viewing.
It was first conceived by Tatsumi Hijikata and Kazuo Ohno out of a desire to create something which differed from the strict, classical forms of Kabuki and Nōh theater.
What makes butoh unique from other dance forms, such as modern and ballet, is that there is no formal style or technique, dancers use imagery to help them guide their movements, but there is no measure as to how the movement should be executed. The imagery cues are as different as the individuals teaching and learning it.
The speed and form of movements are also key to butoh. Rather than typical Western choreography, where each dance sequence needs to be drilled until it’s second nature for the performer and in sync with accompanying soundscapes, butoh is more about touch, feel and capturing a specific mood.
The first ever butoh performance, “Kinjiki” (Forbidden Colors) in 1959, looked at homosexuality and ensured the director, Hijikata, was persona non grata at the festival at which it was held. But it was continued collaboration with Ohno, a maverick in his own right who’s often regarded as “the soul of butoh”, that really helped to put their new style on the world map.
Today it has evolved to become an international art form with artists and groups devoted to teaching and performing it in East and South-East Asia, North and South America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Hawaii. Dance festivals have featured performances by Butoh artists since the 1960s, but more recently festivals have been held which are exclusively devoted to Butoh.
So, if you are finding 'strictly come dancing' a bit boring and tame then tune into some Butoh on Saturday night....
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