Tokyo Performances

Sankai Juku

I attended a performance Sankai Juku’s latest work “Toki” on March 17. This was my sixth or seventh butoh performance, the majority of which have been by Sankai Juku. And, as is always the case, I had to readjust my thinking and become non-linear – rather a chore for me.

During these slow-moving performances I am usually baffled by the complete lack of narrative, and this was no exception. There are moments of austere beauty, and long moments of acute boredom. Yet, weeks later many of the images are very clear in my memory. There’s something magical about the experience. I am so accustomed to immediate satisfaction and a thrill a minute, that the patience required by butoh seems hard work. Yet, there have always been rewards.

My first experience with butoh was seeing a news film on television some years ago about a butoh performance in Seattle which had gone terribly wrong. The film showed two nearly naked, white painted men suspended high above a crowd slowly moving in the deliberate, often awkward manner of butoh. Suddenly one of the ropes snapped, and one of the performers plummeted to his death. What struck me was the reaction of the other performer – he kept his position, but just opened his eyes very widely. I was struck by his discipline – impressed and horrified. I did a little internet research the other day and found out that the troupe in Seattle was the same Sankai Juku.

Although there were seven scenes, trying to describe them leaves me at a loss for words. Some photos can be found on their web site: http://www.sankaijuku.com/

posted by Larry Wells @ 12:19 PM