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A key figure in the development of Butoh, Kazuo Ohno brought a unique expressiveness and emotional depth to the art form.

This concept in Butoh explores the unconscious and subdued aspects of the human experience, often depicting themes of suffering and darkness through the body.

This is one of the most famous Butoh dance companies, known for its ethereal and visually arresting performances.

Butoh performances are enriched by striking visual imagery, often using white body paint, unusual costumes, and expressive facial movements.

Butoh dancers often seek to express a deep interconnection between themselves, the audience, and the environment, creating a shared experience.

Butoh often explores themes of contrast and conflict, such as between life and death or beauty and ugliness, creating a dramatic narrative in the performance.

Improvisation in Butoh is a key element, allowing dancers to explore spontaneous movement and respond to the immediate environment.

Butoh does not shy away from the processes of aging and decay, using them as powerful motifs to reflect on the nature of life and impermanence.

Butoh challenges traditional concepts of beauty, often exploring grotesque, twisted or otherwise unconventional aesthetics in its choreography.

Butoh often employs a very slow tempo, which creates a sense of tension and allows for detailed, introspective movement.

A central theme in Butoh, dancers use their bodies to transform into different characters, animals, or elements, conveying a sense of metamorphosis.

Butoh dance often delves into existential themes, questioning the nature of existence and the human experience.

Founder of Butoh, Hijikata Tatsumi revolutionized the dance world with his avant-garde performance style, focusing on the darker aspects of the human condition.

Embracing the concept of 'ma' (negative space), Butoh acknowledges the power of absence and the void, often leaving moments of stillness within the dance.

Butoh reflects the intimate relationship between the body and the earth, where dancers may mimic natural processes like decay and growth.

Butoh dancers often utilize minimal and reductive movements, emphasizing the expressive power of subtle gestures and shifts.

A movement technique often used in Butoh training, Noguchi Taiso promotes fluidity and flexibility, emphasizing natural, water-like movements of the body.

Butoh arose in postwar Japan as a form of protest against materialism and the loss of spirituality, using the body as a medium to express deeper truths.

Butoh emphasizes a connection with the ground, with dancers often performing close to or on the floor to symbolize being rooted and present.