Butoh Dictionary

A physical theatre concept where movement has an echo effect.

Term coined while at Himalaya Subbody in 2017 mixing the concepts of ecstatic dance and butoh so it is a live dj/electronic music event where people engage in butoh.

In Shadowbody, these are various eyes that watch from the corner of the eye.

In Shadowbody, this is a chimera exercise. Two or more body parts are chosen and they are associated with different emotions.

The eyes of the daily world (with the assistance of the eyelids and eyebrows) that embody emotion. The main emotions are happiness, sadness, fear, anger, surprise and disgust. These eyes need to be deterritorialized.

In Shadowbody, this is a chimera exercise where one part of the face gives one emotion and another part another. For instance, the mouth can exhibit deep disappointment and the eyes, euphoria.

In Shadowbody, this is a jumping wild exercise where emotions are sifted through in constant change. First, the emotions can be acted out in the face, but and then they can be acted out without the facial expressions or gestures associated with them.

An intermediate/advanced Shadowbody exercise which is not about shifting emotions but keeping one emotion while shifting qualias. How would an angry flower react?

A term the butoh scholar P Liao uses to describe the preliminary stage of butoh creation where one's vessel is emptied so as to have space to create.

Emptying can be accomplished through a number of methods such as forgoing thinking, nurture, entering into a hollow or transparent body or a Noguchi taiso water body.

A term the butoh scholar P Liao uses to describe the middle stage of butoh creation where one becomes present and involved in their current state. To Akjaji Maro's Maro Method, this could be associated with the initial Igata (mould).

To improvisational theatre, this could be associated with the "yes" in Yes, And.

One of the 8 butoh spices in Shadowbody. These are the basic movement motifs found in butoh movement.

Also expressed as stretch/shrink.