Japanese art of Butoh 舞踏

Japanese dark body dance

Born in Japan at the end of the 1950s, the Butoh dance expresses the suffering and problems in the society of the time. Influenced by Buddhism and Shinto beliefs, this dance performance fascinates as much as it challenges.

More than a codified dance, butoh is a concept, a way of perceiving the world. The body itself is a work of art. The attitudes, the features are twisted but do not play. They express feelings, sensations that the artist experiences on stage. Impossible to remain indifferent. Whether irritated by the strangeness or fascinated by the gesture, the viewers are struck...

A Japanese dance that rejects traditional artistic standards

 

Communicate with invisible spirits, appeal to the forces of the beyond. This is the ambition of the creators of butoh. It is about awakening the hidden forces, lurking in the depths of the night, in the depths of the human soul.

This inclusion of Man in Nature reveals the strong influence of Shintoism. The shaved heads of the male dancers (the majority), their skin covered with white powder, their lymphatic movements, place them on the border between minerals, plants, and animals.

Butoh is a dance that rejects forms of traditional Japanese theater, whether it is Noh theater or kabuki. It is the search for a lost identity.

 

 

Une représentation de butô.

Une représentation de butô.

DR

Les attitudes et les traits des acteurs se tordent mais ne jouent pas, exprimant des sentiments, des sensations que l'artiste vit sur scène.

Les attitudes et les traits des acteurs se tordent mais ne jouent pas, exprimant des sentiments, des sensations que l'artiste vit sur scène.

DR

The dancer's body is an extension of the earth. After all, the term Butoh means "dance that hits the ground ." Thus, Hijikata developed the technique of ganimata, literally "bent legs". It's about dancing while feeling the weight of the mud that envelops your feet, the weight of the earth stuck against your body.

Butoh dancers were trying to figure out how to stand as Japanese". Hijikata grew up in Akita, an important rice-growing region. He relied on the feeling of having two legs planted in the mud of a paddy field - "Each person has their own experience linked to the place it enlarged in. Something local, so we tried to transform these very local peculiarities into something universal".

Le butô est proche de la performance artistique, révolutionnaire, transgressive que du théâtre classique.

Le butô est proche de la performance artistique, révolutionnaire, transgressive que du théâtre classique.

DR

The Butoh-kan:

 

Although in recent years, butoh has gained popularity in its native country, it remains a confidential art. There is only one establishment in all of Japan: Butoh-kan in Kyoto, which opened in 2016.

In an old kura (a house with thick walls used as a warehouse), performances are given in a very small space: no more than nine people can attend the show, which creates an exceptional intimacy between the dancers and their audience.

 

Address: Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8202

Access: 5 min walk from Oike subway station, exit 6. Karasuma and Tozai lines or 10 min walk from Karasuma station, exit 22. Kyoto line from Hankyu company.

Official site: https://butohkan.jp/

 

Dans le butô, la scène est nue, les corps sont blancs. Les danseurs évoluent dans une presque obscurité avec une lenteur aérienne.

Dans le butô, la scène est nue, les corps sont blancs. Les danseurs évoluent dans une presque obscurité avec une lenteur aérienne.

DR

Une performance de Buto dans les rues de Paris

Une performance de Buto dans les rues de Paris

Duc

Latest Articles

L'artisanat traditionnel du Tohoku - les poupées Kokeshi

Traditional Arts & Crafts of Tohoku

Located north of the main island of the Japanese archipelago, the northern part of Honshu known as Tohoku has its own cultural identity and traditions passed down from generations for years.

Summer in Japan: Furin

5 tips for surviving the Japanese summer

With its temperatures reaching 40°C in the sun and its humidity... the Japanese summer can be unbearable when you are confronted with it for the first time.

Torii Gates

Shinto & Shrines

A guide for travellers to Japan on Shintoism and visiting shrines with information sourced from a 17th generation Shinto Priestess. 

See All (368)