Butoh dancer Temmetsu is one of a small band of artists to have learned his craft at Asbestos-kan, the school founded by Tatsumi Hijikata, the creator of Japan’s avant-garde dance form. For Wonderful State Q, he uses the snail’s shell as a metaphor for the state—but in this case, the state is the interior world of the individual. “The snail’s shell forms a mysterious nation to which others are not admitted,” Temmetsu says. “Falling inside itself, the snail’s shell becomes its own country.” The Q, he adds, stands for the “question” of whether this mysterious interior world is an earthly paradise or a purgatory.

Nov 1, 7:30pm, ¥2,900 (adv)/¥3,200 (door). Nov 2, 1:30pm & 6:30pm, ¥2,900 (adv)/¥3,200 (door). Theater Samsa.  Asagaya. Tel: 090-8516-6005. www.temmetsu.com