Water in the Desert and Portland State University Center for Japanese Studies present WATER IN THE DESERT FESTIVAL 2009 Butoh: Exploring the Source, a 2 performance retrospective of Butoh dance theatre at the Dolores Winningstad Theatre, Portland Center for the Performing Arts on Friday June 26 and Saturday June 27, 2009.
Butoh: Exploring the Source traces the 50 year history of Butoh dance theatre from its emergence as an underground “dance experience” in post-WWII Japan to its development as a vital global performance art. In this rare retrospective special focus is given to the native Japanese and modern Western dance traditions that have both influenced Butoh and been influenced by it.
Notably the Festival features performances by one of Butoh’s greatest living masters, Koichi Tamano. This is a rare opportunity for Pacific Northwest audiences to see the original form and subsequent development of Butoh performed by some of its leading artists.
The program explores the arc of Butoh’s evolution from the choreographic styles that defined it at its birth in the 1959 performances of founders Tatsumi Hijikata and Kazuo Ohno, through the various forms it’s taken as it spread globally and was influenced by Western (European and American) dance forms. To create an historical context and show the global influence of Butoh, performances by leading West Coast artists of key traditional Japanese art forms (Kyôgen Theatre and Buyô folk dancing) and Western modern dance (ranging from German expressionistic dance to the work of choreographer Anna Halprin) will also be featured. Key performers in this part of the program include Folk Dancers from Portland Taiko, Sahomi Tachibana Dancers, Linda K. Johnson, Cyndy Wilkes and Theory 1: Dance.
Water in the Desert Festival is divided into 2 performances. The first performance on Friday, June 26th is entitled Origins and focuses on the native Japanese theatre and dance traditions from which Butoh emerged, as well as the forms it took early in its development. The second performance on Saturday, June 27th is entitled Evolutions and focuses on Butoh’s development as a global art form. Both evenings will feature performances of key Western choreographic styles that have influenced Butoh, as well as explore its current relations with contemporary dance and theatre.
ABOUT BUTOH:
Butoh is the collective name for a diverse range of activities, techniques and motivations for dance, performance, or movement inspired by the Ankoku-Butoh movement. Its origins have been attributed to Japanese dance legends Tatsumi Hijikata and Kazuo Ohno. (Koichi Tamano was the principal dancer in Hijikata’s company). Butoh appeared first in Japan after the second world war & the bombing of Hiroshima. It appeared as a reaction against the contemporary dance scene in Japan and general westernization of their culture.
In the process its creators Tatsumi Hijikata and Kazuo Ohno discovered wholly new ways to deconstruct movement and transform the body. The result was a concentrated, hyper-controlled dance technique based on natural forces and shapes that they used to explore hidden, or even taboo, topics. Ultimately, what they created was an art form that challenged the status quo by transcending the limits of traditional dance to connect with audiences at a primal, non-rational level.
