Butoh: Body on the Edge of Crisis

Overview

"Butoh: Body on the Edge of Crisis" is a visually striking film portrait shot on location in Japan with the participation of the major Butoh choreographers and their companies. Although Butoh is often viewed as Japan's equivalent of modern dance, in actuality it has little to do with the rational principles of modernism. Butoh is a theater of improvisation which places the personal experiences of the dancer on center-stage. By reestablishing the ancient Japanese connection of dance, music, and masks, and by recalling the Buddhist death dances of rural Japan, Butoh incorporates much traditional theater. At the same time, it is a movement of resistance against the abandonment of traditional culture to a highly organized consumer-oriented society.

Director: Michael Blackwood

Cast

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Yoko Ashikawa

Herself - Interviewee

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Akiko Motofuji

Herself - Interviewee

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Nario Goda

Himself

Tatsumi Hijikata

Himself

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Yukio Waguri

Himself

Akaji Maro

Himself

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Natsu Nakajima

Herself

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Sanae Hiruta

Herself

Kazuo Ohno

Himself

Min Tanaka

Himself