Founded by artistic director, Ushio Amagatsu, in 1975, Sankai Juku is a unique dance troop with which Butoh is an expression of the language of body exploring the relationship between body and gravity, gravity to earth and the environment. They have been premiering a new piece roughly every two years at the Théâtre de la Ville, Paris.
Their works are abstract, employing a hefty amount of metaphor and visuals that are at first alien, but then become familiar as the meaning floats to the surface. I know it all sounds abstract and perhaps a little "pretentious" but it's only pretentious if the creator has no idea what their doing aside from being like someone/something else. I don't believe that's the case with Amagatsu.If they swing your way, take the opportunity to see them perform and judge for yourself. Visit their official site for their schedule of upcoming shows.
As a taster, here's Ushio Amagatsu's take on their work Kagemi:
The Kage of Kagemi is shadow
The light of contrast, the image in the mirror of water's surface
The mi is seeing and being seen
Some say Kagemi is the ancient origin of "mirror" (kagemi)
In light, the surface that reflects and is reflected, looked into and looking back
Surface beginning in the horizontal water plane and transforming to
the perpendicular face
From an ambiguous and transient state to one clearly outlined
The right hand asks, the left hand answers
Once an imaginary surface is defined
Here is a video of one of their performances:
Links:
Sankai Juku official site (English/Japanese)
Interview with Amagatsu (English/German)
Another interview with Amagatsu
Wiki
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