Visual Pleasure
Giannandrea Poesio
Sankaj Juku Sadler's Wells Theatre (Aver the years the works presented by V the Japanese company Sankaj Juku and, in particular, those by its founder and chief choreographer Ushio Amagatsu have gradually moved away from the standard dance-theatre formulae of Butoh. For the traditionalists this move has led to a selfindulgent experimentation with aesthetically intriguing, yet shallow spectacular formulae that have little in common with the tradition of the so-called 'Dance of Total Darkness' or Ankoku Butoh. For those who have always found Butoh's dark and emotionally shattering features offputting and impenetrable, Sankaj Juku's new directions are a blessing, for they make the approach to an art often regarded as too culturally remote for Westerners less traumatic.
Kagemi, Beyond the Metaphor of Mirrors, Amagatsu's 2000 creation performed last week at Sadler's Wells, is indeed far from what is generally considered to be characteristic of Butoh, both in terms of content and performance. However, some of the genre's distinctive traits remain amidst the lyrical and visually stunning moments, the intentionally non-gut-wrenching situations and the unusual self-centred display of technical bravura that characterise this work. The influence of German Expressionist dance, which is said to have informed the art of Butoh since its inception, is the most evident of those traditional traits throughout the seven sections into which the one-hour-and-25-minutes-long performance is divided. Yet, unlike works by other Butoh masters, Expressionist references are not limited to the angular, jerky, violently wild, angst-provoking movements with which German Expressionist dance is frequently and erroneously associated. Amagatsu's solos, together with some other choral moments, refer to the more lyrical currents of German Expressionist choreography that have often been overlooked.
Some of the smooth and wavy gestures performed in Kagemi are reminiscent of those performed by Mary Wigman, the 'mother' of German Expressionist dance and an acknowledged source of inspiration for Butoh, in atmospheric and lyrical dance solos inspired by the wind, sea and springtime. Having been recorded on film, these dances remind us of a more gentle though equally dense facet of German Expressionist dance rather than the more popular, angst-based one — of which Wigman's Hexentan2 is possibly the most representative work. Despite the poor quality of those films, it is still possible to appreciate how Wigman managed to combine a beautiful display of technical bravura with an intensely captivating and vibrant interpretation, conveying a broad range of emotions. I wish this were also the case with any of 1Cagemrs seven sections, for I did not find any depth behind the danced action. Once the magic of the visually engaging solutions in each section wore off — something it did pretty quickly — little or nothing remained to admire and ponder on. I could not help sympathising with those traditionalists mentioned above. I, too, as a fond supporter and admirer of the Butoh genre, felt betrayed by the lack of emotional interaction between the performers and the audience and soon got tired of what, in the end, looked like a tritely self-indulgent and self-celebratory show of purely technical skills. And I am also glad to report that, from comments I overheard, I was not the only one who felt like this. But it would be unfair to dismiss Kagemi as a poor performance, for it is not. It is a clever combination of all the right spectacular ingredients: exoticism, undemanding use of gender issues, trendy sets and costumes, and enough pseudo-symbolic movements and actions to make one believe in the existence of hidden meanings — as the word 'metaphor' in the title suggests. If it is only visual pleasure you are after, this is the show for you. But if you want the full Butoh experience look elsewhere.
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