see a Butoh performance

Saw a Butoh show last Tuesday - I went with my family to the Paramount in Seattle to see Sankai Juku. Apparently, this is the same company that came to Seattle in 1991 and ended up having an awful accident. They were doing a performance above the street when one of them fell and died. My mom was telling me about it on our way there - I’m surprised I didn’t know about that before, you would think it was probably a huge story. What a terrible story. Anyways, their show was amazing, visually stunning. The set was a big square of giant white lotus flowers that rose up above the stage after the first section. Everyone white powder, beautiful gestures, so committed as performers. I think that of all shows I’ve seen, this has been my favorite. My family liked it too. yay!

Butoh show in the works! Sankai Juku, a well-known Butoh group, is coming to Seattle on November 21 and my mom has agreed to take me. I will be crossing my fingers extra tight for the next 3 months in the hopes that it doesn’t fall through. I’m so excited! I don’t know a lot about Butoh, but I do know that it was born in Japan from the ashes of the atom bomb, and that it is…kind of intense. Sankai Juku is one of the companies that still puts on performances in which the dancers are covered in white paint. The pictures are just so cool. weeeee!