Hijikata: Revolt of the Body

by Stephen Barber

The very first biography and cultural study of Japanese dancer Tatsumi Hijikata, who invented the revolutionary performance art ‘Ankoku Butoh’ – now celebrated worldwide as one of the most innovative and haunting contemporary art forms. A university level text, illustrated throughout, of vital interest to all readers engaged with performance art and dance.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

Paperback

First published September 11, 2013

Reviews

[Bill Hsu · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an indispensable reference for fans of Butoh and Hijikata.

[Matthew Alvarez]

Two quotes by Hijikata:

"I would like to have a person, who has already died, die over and over inside my body ... I may not know death, but it knows me."

"Ankoku Butoh is born from the realization of a grave crisis. It's a form of regression into the shadows, a refusal of light. And more importantly than that, Ankoku Butoh always says 'no': it prefers negative forms, and its dancers confront their bodies without the fear of witnessing the disintegration of the body."