To see a performance of butoh, the Japanese dance form in which the body twists and contorts on stage, is to almost feel like you're being transported to another world. And noone was more otherworldly than the late Kazuo Ohno (1906-2010).
Performance artist Takao Kawaguchi pays homage to the butoh pioneer in his most recet work, "About Kazuo Ohno: Reliving the Butoh Diva's Masterpieces." It recently finished a successful two-year world tour and will be shown in Saitama on Dec. 2 and 3.
"In Europe and the United States, there were a lot of people in the audience who had seen Kazuo Ohno perform 20 years ago," Kawaguchi tells The Japan Times. "They were so excited to 'see' him again through me, and I could really feel his popularity; because of him they welcomed me, too. He was so full of positive energy and, in Europe especially, people really cherish his memory."