Youtube: Weakned Body Butoh - The art of grotesque

**davi** · June 17th, 2008, 03:44 AM

For Starters, watch this video for an idea of what Butoh is. Butoh is the art of body-play/dancing while dawning white make up.

This video shows the Master of Butoh doing his last performance in the style known as Weakened Butoh. The Act of performing weakened butoh was banned from showcase for 30 years after this performance. The ban was lifted in 2003.

youtube has plenty of other videos of butoh for those who are interested. Just thought it would be something the community would have an interest in. At least some of us!

**FearSelf** · June 17th, 2008, 03:59 AM

Wow that is an intense concept. Swaying between life and death, one world to another. I've never seen anything like that before, and I like the strangeness of it. I'm doing some reading into what Butoh is right now.
Oh and for me the first video isn't showing somehow?

**davi** · June 17th, 2008, 04:10 AM

yeah i posted the video wrong, its up now.

**Peter Coene** · June 17th, 2008, 04:11 AM

zombie dance?

**FearSelf** · June 17th, 2008, 04:22 AM

Ah yea now I can see it. How the people look and dance kind of reminds me of Sopor Aeternus, a bit. I'm not sure why.

**Hai** · June 17th, 2008, 05:05 AM

I don't get it, why was it banned?

**Grief** · June 17th, 2008, 05:06 AM

such bodily control.....

**B u r l** · June 17th, 2008, 09:16 AM

Yeah, how come weakened butoh got banned?

**Molly** · June 17th, 2008, 09:46 AM

Wow. Very eerie, beautiful, haunting and creepy...
Great reference! - thanks Davi

**Justice Von Brandt** · June 17th, 2008, 11:35 AM

thats some horror movie shit right there

but i like the guy in the white ;p

**s.ketch** · June 17th, 2008, 11:56 AM

Needs some Tool playing in the background.

**davi** · June 17th, 2008, 03:32 PM

im not exactly sure why it got banned, apparently, there's not much online about it... Here is one result of performance being banned... I dunno.

Maybe the guy who made the youtube video didn't have his facts straight and I'm just spreading more rumor. Still, it's bad ass to view

"The first butoh piece was Kinjiki (Forbidden Colours), by Tatsumi Hijikata, which premiered in 1959. Based on the novel of the same name by Yukio Mishima, the piece explored the taboo of homosexuality and ended with a live chicken behind held between the legs of Yoshito Ohno (Kazuo Ohno's son) and Hijikata chasing Yoshito off the stage in darkness. Primarily as a result of the misconception that the chicken had died due to strangulation, this piece outraged the audience, and resulted in the banning of Hijikata from the festival where Kinjiki premiered and established him as an iconoclast."

**Carnifex** · June 17th, 2008, 06:47 PM

damn,the second vid is unnerving

**Cookiedough** · June 17th, 2008, 08:26 PM

I'm gonna have some bad dreams about the second video tonight.

I agree about it being cool.. but also fucking creepy.

**VulgarDragon** · June 17th, 2008, 08:43 PM

To be honest, the second vid bored me to tears. I guess it got banned because he kept grabbing and showing his crotch.

But I did like the guy in white...lots of good ref shots there. If you want to see really creepy dancing, you should check out the Burmese dancers. The way they twist their necks and back is really amazing.