Butoh

Background
Butoh originated in 1959 in Japan. This is post WW2. Influences are from the Japanese living after WW2, they wanted to get out of the stereotypical view of Japan. Also there are influences from Western countries.  It is contemporary and avant-garde. It is not meant to be taken apart, as its about the gut instinct, therefore not about the thinking behind it and the reason why. Lots of improvisation is used, the main sole of it is improvisation and what you act at the time. This means that we do not repeat the same performance, as every performance should be slightly different. Dance is also incorporated, especially German Expressionist Dance (Neue Tanz) and it created a controversial yet universal expression. It is highly unique to itself. It is now an international art form and groups around the world perform and teach it. New Zealand, East and South Asia, Europe, North and South America and Hawii are the main continents/countries that perform/teach this. Butoh has survived mainly due to Western Practitioners.


Butoh is designed to express the shadow within ourselves; the repressed side of ones self. Also, it uses Stock characters (like Commedia) to improvise from. However, these stock characters include, the wise old man, trickster, the devil and the great mother. These characters have influenced many things today, 'mother nature' could be the great mother. The Devil is a character that has always been around, but the wise old man could have been influenced by such characters like 'Winnie the Pooh''s Wise old Owl possibly. That is down to interpretation.


What did we do during the lessons?
Japanese believe in 'Out of death comes new light' showing the the cycle of life is important to the Japanese and therefore Butoh. Often in Butoh performances, the circle of life is the storyline, becoming nature and animals also help express this storyline that continues throughout most performances.
To start with the process of Butoh was quite difficult to grasp as you were out of control yourself, you go into a different mind set which was a mind set that I had never been into before (except during Le Coq)


In the lesson we used Hiroshima imagery to show the violent imagery that was first used and still used today in Butoh. I find the imagery used in Butoh possibly quite scary in some circumstances.


In the lesson I took part in, we were forces of nature. Andy put on some music to get ourselves into the mind set. I really love the music because its so different compared to the mainstream music I listen to and its all very dramatic. We were told to imagine that we were flowers who wilted  and died, then came back to life. I found it a very surreal experience because you were on your own in your head, there was no-one to act with and be supported by. In the end I really loved it although it was very surreal.


Is it like any other topics we have studied?
I believe it is like Jacque Le Coq because you go into the subconscious when you perform. You also perform on instinct, which is like Jacque Le Coq. However, Jacque Le Coq is improvised a lot of the time like Kazuo Ohno techniques. Tatsumi Hijikata used movement vocab which differs from Jacque Le Coq but this praticsioner decided to do this so that although none of the performances where the same, some where similar.
It also uses stock characters like Commedia Dell'Larte. Commedia Dell'Larte although did use a storyline, was also often improvised as to when to include a Lazzi sketch. This is like Tatsumi Hijikata style as he also used stock movements.


Bibliography
http://www.butohuk.com/
http://www.butoh.net/butoh/Home.html
http://artsbymalia.com/j15/images/yootheme/yoogallery/portfolio/In%202002-2003%20I%20Lived%20In%20Osaka%20For%20A%20Year%20Teaching%20English%20And%20Studying%20Butoh%20Dance.%20Photo%20By%20Kanae%20Terachi.jpg