about butoh

Tatsumi Hijikata by Eiko Hosoe 

'"Again and again we are reborn. It is not enough simply to be born of the mother's womb. Many births are necessary. Be reborn always and everywhere. Again and again." 

Tatsumi Hijikata 

Butoh is an avant garde dance philosophy/method that was created in Japan at the end of the 50s by Tatsumi Hijikata and Kazuo Ohno.

Butoh is not a technique but rather an approach to dance which stems from within us and connects us to our essence as well as to nature, the universe, our ancestors and the cycles of life and death.

The main elements that it explores are metamorphoses, dance through imagery, presence, awareness and the tension between opposites. The aim is to free the body from its mundane preconceived set of gestures and movements, allowing us to access a deeper and more authentic essence of movement and archetypal expression. 

"My dance is far removed from conventions and techniques, it is the unveiling of the inner life."    
Tatsumi Hijikata

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Originally known as ankoku butoh (dance of darkness) butoh is a form of postmodern dance theatre initiated in Japan by Tatsumi Hijikata and Kazuo Ohno.

The first butoh performance, Kinjiki (Forbiden Colours) took place in 1959.

Butoh is a non-representational form of performance.  The artist is not trying to represent, to look like, or to illustrate, but to become.  The aim of the butoh artist is the direct embodiment of feelings and images.  

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Kazuo Ohno