The world of Butoh Dance

Ushio Amagatsu, the leader of the Sankai Juku butoh dance troupe, passed away at the age of 74. Sankai Juku - Over 40 years ago in the 1980s, when the members were in their 20s, the troupe made a shocking debut at the Nancy Dance Festival in France with their "Butoh dance" performances featuring white-painted, nude dancers. After this, Sankai Juku gained worldwide recognition, performing in over 43 countries. The troupe is known for its highly refined stage productions that combine traditional Japanese folk elements. Ushio Amagatsu, the founder and director of Sankai Juku, passed away on March 25th. We offer our deepest condolences and pay respect to his many years of dedicated Butoh dance activities.

In Sapporo, Sankai Juku performance was scheduled two years ago, but it was suddenly canceled because the performers had contracted the coronavirus. Seeing the "Performance Canceled..." sign at the hall entrance was truly disappointing.

Now then - back in the day, when the butoh dance "Asbestos Hall" was in Meguro, Tokyo, I recall the words spoken by Akiko Motofuji, the late Tatsumi Hijikata's wife and the hall's owner. She told me she said to Ushio Amagatsu when he came to greet them after returning from their overseas tour, "Your dancing is not butoh!" Why was the world-renowned Sankaijuku's dancing not considered butoh? I never got to hear the full reason, but I felt it was because:

• They had become drawn to the "artistic aspirations" of Western performing arts, gradually diluting the folk elements of Japan (1980s - 2024).
• They had deliberately excluded the "erotic, grotesque, nonsensical" aspects that had influenced many butoh dancers. *Those three words were often cited about shocking stage performances since the Taisho era.
• The Sankaijuku's style, which incorporated Noguchi gymnastics into their movement and staging, was distinct from other butoh groups.

I don't know Mrs. Motofuji's true intent, but in my later years, I found the beauty of the Sankaijuku to be dazzlingly bright, as I had struggled with a distorted and twisted mind and body, as a butoh dancer and certified dance-therapist.