Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on January 2011

©SankaiJuku

Sankai Juku makes Japan wait for its new works: for more than 30 years, the renowned butoh company has preferred to debut its creations at the Theatre de la Ville in Paris. Founder Ushio Amagatsu will be present for the Tokyo premiere of Kara Mi: Split Pulse at Setagaya Public Theatre, following up with a reprise of Tobari, his 2008 meditation on the universe. “If Tobari is about man’s relationship with the cosmos,” comments Amagatsu, “then Kara Mi is about circulation in the body’s interior.” The new piece is set to music by veteran composers Takashi Kako, Yas-Kaz and Yoichiro Yoshikawa, with designs by Amagatsu that suggest a latticework of veins.

Sankai Juku
Kara Mi: Jan 26-28, 7pm; Jan 29-30, 3pm; Tobari: Feb 3-4, 7pm; Feb 5-6, 3pm, ¥3,500 (A)/¥4,500 (S). Setagaya Public Theatre, Sangenjaya. Tel: 03-5432-1515. http://setagaya-pt.jp