Butoh: Body on the Edge of Crisis

The story

"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.

Cast & crew

Yoko Ashikawa

Yoko AshikawaHerself - Interviewee

Akiko Motofuji

Akiko MotofujiHerself - Interviewee

Nario Goda

Nario GodaHimself

Tatsumi Hijikata

Tatsumi HijikataHimself

Yukio Waguri

Yukio WaguriHimself

Akaji MaroHimself

Natsu Nakajima

Natsu NakajimaHerself

Sanae Hiruta

Sanae HirutaHerself

Kazuo OhnoHimself

Min TanakaHimself

Ushio Amagatsu

Ushio AmagatsuCast

Yoshiyuki Takada

Yoshiyuki TakadaCast