AN INTRODUCTION TO BUTOH OVERVIEW HISTORY Butoh is an explosive, convention-shattering performance style that has redefined the limits of theatre and dance. It was created by a handful of avant-garde post-war Japanese artists who drew upon their native agrarian myths, the iconoclastic theatre of Antonin Artaud, and the influences of Western modern dance. Butoh is provocative, born out of revolt. After the Second World War Japan experienced change at a rate unlike that ever seen before in world history. It embraced massive industrialisation and Westernisation, The Butoh artists reacted against what they saw as a loss of Japanese identity, the loss of a connection with nature and the marginalisati The first ever Butoh performance Kinjiki or Forbidden Colours, an adaptation of Yukio Mishima’s novel of the same name, took place in Tokyo in 1959, The performance saw its creator, Hijikata, branded as an outlaw performer and banned by the artistic elite because of its controversial content, The movement went underground where it still largely resides today due to its confronting themes and aesthetic: Hijikata gave a voice to the outcast. His work had the subversive power of an outlawed language. He represented the underprivileged, the exploited and the neglected, which for him signified the rural backwaters of the remote (and poor) northern region of Japan where he was born, He originally used the term Ankoku Butoh, which when loosely translated means dark dance or dance of the dark soul. The darkness referred to the territory of taboo, the forbidden zones, the neglected underbelly of human behaviour, on which light had never been cast. Butoh is perhaps the most daring attempt yet to translate the mysterious (and sometimes tormented) world of the unconscious into the communal medium of theatre. It is a dance of the imagination, the memory and the senses, of pure emotional states expressed through the body (instead of through words), of universal imagery, of poetry and metaphor. AL its heart, Butoh aims to reveal the unconscious, inner world of the performer, stripped of his or her social mask, striving to reach its audience at gut level. It is often described as provocative, shocking, a spectacle, erotic, grotesque, violent, primal, visceral, physical, spiritual, meditative, cosmi cathartic, mysterious and animalistic. At times fiercely primitive and at others serenely meditative, Butoh has a history of cultivating courageous performers and enabling them to develop a rich inner life, deep focus, and the ability to express emotions honestly and openly with the entire body.The traditional image of a Butoh performer is of a white painted figure wearing a g- string. with a contorted and grotesque face and body, head shaved and eyes rolled up, Uncontrollable convulsions are juxtaposed with incredible isolation in all parts of the body and sublime stillness. BUTOH TODAY Butoh started crossing cultural boarders in the 70s. There are now resident compat on every continent of the world (excluding Antarctica). Although there are basic principles common to all (which you will explore in the exercises), how they interpret them can vary dramatically according to their needs and aesthetic. For example. the poignancy, stillness and meditative movements attributed to Sankai Juku, differ entirely from the primal, convulsive and contortive movements associated with Dairakudakan Butoh finds universal appeal because it strips back cultural conventions, the language barrier, the literal perspective and the dominant rational paradigm that we decipher the world through, leaving us with the common human denominator of our own body expressing an honest response to experience and emotion. The honest response is the uninhibited and unconscious transformation that is at the core of all great performances. A DEFINITION There is much debate on how to define Butoh. When as! what iti ing a Japanese Butoh dancer many will hesitate and say how difficult itis to explain, I believe this is to do more with a deliberate history of obfuscation rather than the truth of the situation. Like Zen Buddhism, where strident anti-rationalism is one of its major themes, a rational understanding of Butoh has been intentionally thwarted and thus a clear definition studiously avoided. This indefinable knowledge, ambiguity or “incompleteness” encourages multiple and conflicting levels of interpretation and maintains its mysterious qualities, thus making it special. On a simplistic level, it can simply be said (as stated above), that it is having the courage to use your body to express an honest response to an experience. CREDIT I would like to thank Simon Tate of QACI for his support in writing this overview. STRUCTURE ‘This Mater Class will introduce some of the fundamental principles of Butoh through a series of fun and challenging exercises that can be easily taken away and taught in the classroom. Particular attention has been paid to the exercises chosen and the way they are scaffolded to demonstrate how trust can be built and risk taking encouraged, both of ‘h are important to achieving success with Butoh in the classroom.It does not matter what level of experience or fitness you have, we will start from the basics and enjoy learning the power of your body. as itis, to express. PROG! 1, Warm Up A fun warm up “daggy aerobies" will get you out of your heads and into your bodies. 2. Practical Exercises A series of exercises will explore two approaches to working with the body. Both approaches are designed to break everyday, habitual patterns of movement in order to find the bodies full potential to express. Approach 1: Using an External Stimulus The way an actor connects to his or her environment is through the five senses. Two of the sense will be explored: sight and touch. Key Learning: Commitment, Focus, Sense Memory & 3D-Body. Approach 2: Using an Internal Stimulus The internal life of an actor is driven by a rich imagination and the use of memory. You will be asked to use your imagination and memory to move in response to a series of poetic images or Butoh Fu that that are placed in specific parts of the body. Key Learning: Empty Body, Abandonment, Isolation, Image, Transformation, ‘Being Moved’ & Essence. 3. Training into Practice If time permits, a section of a student devised Butoh production called MIRE, created by IB Y1 students at the Queensland Academy of Creative Industries (QACH), will show how the training can be put into practise. 4, Questions Tam happy to answer any questions that you might have, BIBLIOGRAPHY Fraleigh, Sondra and Nakamura, Tamah (2006) Hijikata Tatsumi and Ohno Kazuo, New York: Routledge. Ohno, Kazuo and Ohno, Yoshito (2004) Kazuo Ohno’s World: from without and within, Middletown: Wesleyan University Press. Viala Jean and Masson-Sckine, Nouit (1988) Butoh: Shades of Darkness, Tokyo: Shufunotomo Co., Ltd Hoflman, Ethan and Holborn, Mark (1987) Butoh: Dance Of The Dark Soul, New York: Aperture Dairakudakan. Online. Available PRACTISIONER’S PATHWAY MARK HILL is an international Physical Theatre performer, director and educator. He has worked with cutting edge Australian companies Zen Zen Zo, The Danger Ensemble and De Quincey Co and has performed with international Butoh companies Dairakudakan (Japan) and SU-EN Butoh Company (Europe). Mark has also applied his skills to the music industry. He toured for two years with Cabaret Punk musician, Amanda Palmer of The Dresden Dolls. Mark has taught Physical Theatre around the world. He is a teacher for NIDA (National Instirue of Dramatic Art in Australia), works extensively for ISTA Unternational Schools Theatre Association), is an Australian Education Foundation Ambassador and an ASIALINK Leader Alumni, He has a Bachelor in Education and was an Art & Physical Education teacher for many years. Mark recently enjoyed the challenge of working with UK based charity Theatre versus Oppression, teaching Physical Theatre to refugees in Africa. This is something he looks forward to doing more of in the future.