Butoh: Body on the Edge of Crisis(1990)

Butoh: Body on the Edge of Crisis Synopsis

"Butoh: Body on the Edge of Crisis" is a visually striking film portrait shot on location in Japan with the participation of the major Butoh choreographers and their companies. Although Butoh is often viewed as Japan's equivalent of modern dance, in actuality it has little to do with the rational principles of modernism. Butoh is a theater of improvisation which places the personal experiences of the dancer on center-stage. By reestablishing the ancient Japanese connection of dance, music, and masks, and by recalling the Buddhist death dances of rural Japan, Butoh incorporates much traditional theater. At the same time, it is a movement of resistance against the abandonment of traditional culture to a highly organized consumer-oriented society.

Butoh: Body on the Edge of Crisis (1990) is a documentary film directed by Michael Blackwood, released on January 1, 1990 with a runtime of 1h 30m. It stars Yoko Ashikawa, Akiko Motofuji, Nario Goda and Tatsumi Hijikata. Viewers rate it 8.0 out of 10 across 2 ratings.