Daiwa International Butoh Festival

The Daiwa International Butoh Festival took place in two parts earlier this year at Jacksons Lane Arts Centre. It included a diverse range of performances from internationally renowned performers workshops, film screenings and discussion.  It was a busy time for Butoh enthusiasts, practitioners, teachers and students.  

Several themes emerged for Sascha Akhtar through the festival. There was the Western/Eastern duality,  the journey from the traditional to the 'evolved' contemporary  Butoh, and its  place in contemporary dance.  

For those of us who only know a little about the art form and haven't felt like experimenting - she reports on several of the performances and gives some background on butoh. 

Tadashi Endo in MA 'Tadashi has spent a great deal of his life in Germany. Is he a Western performer who uses his Butoh research to inform his theatrical work? Or is he considered a Japanese Butoh performer just because of birth-right?' Read on

Shinonome Butoh in DO.  hinonome is an old Japanese word meaning, ' the sky blazoned deep orange before dawn', similar in a way to the English, 'crepuscular'. They too are interested in a Butoh that is new, and perhaps different from what has been interpreted as 'dance of darkness'. ' Read on

Katsura Kan Fragment of Adam & Joker in the Forest   'At certain times the work was akin to watching a primitive, ancient anti-fashion show.' Read on

Koichi Tamano  My Soul Shaken by a Little God Dwelling in My Spirit  'As an alchemist turns dross matter into gold, the Butoh dancer may alter the very molecules of the energy in the space.' Read on