“Over seven years of performing, Masaki Iwana stood naked and motionless before audiences. Trying to read his beleaguered body in Beast of Grass is complex and baf­fling. When he lies tangled on the floor, one knee in the crook of an elbow, he’s a mess of hair, ropes, and...Continued

“Butoh solos are arduous ritual journeys. An improvisation by two Colombian­ born artists, Ximena Garnica and Juan Merchan—he tormentedly slow, she mov­ing in rapid nervous bursts-suggests two private, intersecting odysseys.” – Deborah Jowitt, “Fields of Battle”, Voice Choices, 2005

“Kan Katsura begins his Time Machine suspended over­head in a fabric sling that he unmakes into a white cascade; he clambers down. Pools of light ring him in this difficult, unfamiliar world, where thudding percussion and windy cries resound. Supine, he strains upward. Braced on all fours, he waits....Continued

“Water is a potent force in Howl, periodically gushing down onto Kaseki’s head from a suspended pail, caus­ing her face to squash into a wince and her body to sag. A shiny square on the floor becomes a pool in which she embarrassedly confronts her reflection. In the end,...Continued

“In his program notes for “Beast of Grass,” Mr. Iwana stated, “I only want to be as I am.” Indeed, he seemed to be just getting to know his naked body, which was decorated with swathes of chipping plaster, rib­bons and swinging bells that chimed violently as he lurched...Continued

“In “Before the Dawn,” Yumiko Yoshioka’s body became a menager­ie of strange creatures. A founding member of the all-female Butoh company Ariadone, she appeared in voluminous red robes, her face masked. When her hands emerged from the fabric, they skittered over her body like spiders or pecked at her...Continued

“In “Eros and Thanatos,” the masterly Daisuke Yoshimoto followed a ragged red rib­bon from the back to the front of the stage. Covered in white paint and na­ked except for a thong, his taut body bent double, he walked in painstak­ing, tremblingly slow fashion. When he finally rose, his...Continued

“‘Handsome Blue’ Sky revolves around four supple, brass-colored metallic sheets that allude to costumes in Hijikata’s seminal “Rebellion of the Body (Nikutai no Hanran),” which the Edge performers manipulate to light-reflecting, crashing effect. The heart of Mr. Murobushi’s piece is a duet for him and one of the sheets,...Continued

“Shinichi Koga’s Love Is Shock was, as befits a final piece, the strongest of the afternoon. It involved all the elements of the other two pieces: use of the imagination, forcing the audience members to question what they think are their perceptions, movements that seemed mundane but that involved...Continued