Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on March 2012

Butoh performances usually present the otherworldly or surrealistic vision of the director or choreographer, which can be very personal. How interesting will it be then to see three distinct interpretations from dancers of extremely different backgrounds? 3 Butoh Dimensions brings together Amaia (Spain), Rianto (Indonesia) and Kae Ishimoto (Japan) to each present a solo dance based around the form that has focused attention on Japanese contemporary dance. Amaia, peforming “Ikki,” is one of the leading butoh dancers in Spain, working with the Barcelona Butoh Festival as well as her own company Soizu. This will be her first performance in Japan. Rianto, trained as a classical Javanese dancer, has been resident on these shores for more than five years and taken on the influence of butoh very deeply. He will present “Hallucination.” Kae Ishimoto, the most classically trained in butoh of the three, has studied for 11 years with Yukio Waguri, a deshi of the founder of the form Tatsumi Hijikata. Her piece is entitled “Transformation Girl.” The contrasts in styles should lead to a heightened appreciation of each.

Mar 30, 7:30pm, ¥3,000. 1F Nakano Terpischore, 3-49-15 Nakano. Tel: 03-3383-3719. www.studioterpischore.com.