0. KEY WORDS: primitivism, existencialism, dissapointment, human condition, grotesque, memories, visceral, taboo, emotions.
Little performance, write the key words, ask the audience to brainstorm about Japanese dance.
1. HISTORY
a) Creation: to express the dissapointment after II World War, reaction against the Japanese dance scene (which was very traditional and west-imitating)
b) Founders: 1959
- Hijikata Tatsumi: "the architect of butoh", technician of the nervous system, he worked in groups with childhood memories.
- Ohno Kazuo: " the soul of butoh", more natural and individual work, influencing solo artists.
c) Features
- Known to "resist fixity": slow hyper-controlled motion. Example of pushing a wall (strenght and tension).
- Grotesque imagery: transmutation of the human body into other forms (animals).
- White-body make-up: close-to-zero state, neutralization, shake off unnecessary tension before dancing, to make a white canvas of the body to paint new colour on it.
- Extreme and absurd environments: 80's style = nakedness, shaved heads, clawed hands, rolled-up eyes, mouths opened in silent screams, white, dark and gold paint.
- Sound: traditional, minimalist, themselves (voice/percussion) or silence.
- Taboo topics: war, human condition and essence... 1st piece based on a novel about homosexuality by Yukio Mishima Kinjiki (Forbidden colours), 1951 - 1953.
d) Tragedy: a performer from a company called Sankai Juku was hunging upside down from a rope from a tall building in Seatle. It broke resulting in the death of him. Butoh came widely known in America after that.
2. YUMIKO YOSHIAKA
- 3rd generation of Butoh artists.
- Former member of the company called Ariadone, founded in 1974, which was the 1st female company and the 1st to go outside Japan.
- Body resonance: own method of bodywork - importance of deeping consciousness of the body, body memory, soul, travel between the visible & invisible, images, feelings, sensations, inspiration on the chinese saying "A hundred (different) flowers are in full bloom".
3. OTHER ARTISTS
- Sankai Juku: minimalist (Japan)
- Dairakudakan: very theatrical (Japan)
- SU-EN Butoh Company (Sweden)
- Vangeline (France)
- LEIMAY (Brooklyn)
- Edoheart: 1st indigenous & African performer, Butoh's Vocal Theatre (West Africa)