Why do Butoh dancers paint themselves white?
The white paint, and/or white clothing, associated with butoh is supposed to reflect a childlike purity in the performers, stripping away all potential preconceptions of the dancer(s) in question.
Is Butoh a dance or theatre?
Japanese dance theatre
Butoh (舞踏, Butō) is a form of Japanese dance theatre that encompasses a diverse range of activities, techniques and motivations for dance, performance, or movement. Following World War II, butoh arose in 1959 through collaborations between its two key founders Tatsumi Hijikata and Kazuo Ohno.
What is the purpose of Butoh dance?
Butoh is an attempt to uncover the dance that already exists, it must emerge from within, and not be imposed from without. Butoh uses ‘reduction’ to great effect, for example, stillness and slow motion are well known to audiences of Butoh.
What does the word Butoh mean?
Definition of butoh : a form of dance or performance art of Japanese origin typically involving slow movement and often white makeup Fujiwara’s solo piece, Lost and Found, draws more on her background in the Japanese modern dance form butoh. —
Why did Hijikata create Butoh?
The dance Hijikata would look to create was one that would shake the roots of society as much as the war had done. His rejection of the forced American commodification of Japan was acute, once writing that ‘I will no longer be cheated by a bad check-called democracy.
Is Butoh postmodern?
Miller Dance Theatre, will showcase a post-modern form of Japanese dance, Butoh. Butoh emerged in Japan during a time of great cultural change; people began rebelling against traditional Japanese culture and started to venture into different forms of expression.
What does Hijikata mean?
Hijikata (written: 土方) is a Japanese surname, and may refer to: Hisaakira Hijikata (1870–1942), Japanese businessman. Kensuke Hijikata (born 1922), Japanese photographer.
Who is Katsura Kotaro based on?
Kido Takayoshi (木戸 孝允) (born Wada Kogorō (和田 小五郎); August 11, 1833 – May 26, 1877), also referred to as Kido Kōin (木戸 こういん), was a Japanese statesman of the Meiji Restoration. He was known as Katsura Kogorō (桂 小五郎) during the late Tokugawa period.
Who is Sakata gintoki based off?
The Origin of Gintoki Sakata ‘Gintoki Sakata’ derives from ‘Kintoki Sakata’, a hero in Japanese folklore who was supposedly based on a real person who lived around the year 900 CE. His childhood name, Kintaro, is familiar to the Japanese as one of the most famous heroes in children’s stories.