Abstract

Butoh. The very word has been known to elicit groans, quizzical looks, and/or ecstatic devotion. During the 1980s and 1990s, even the most stalwart of fans identified butoh as the Dance of Darkness, made familiar by images of bald heads and physical contortions performed at an agonizing slow pace. White, painted bodies. Silent screams. Hypnotic, indelible imagery. Self-indulgence. Spectacle. The walking dead. Butoh was the embodiment of darkness or light capable of igniting powerful reactions of revelation, boredom, or disgust.