“More impressive was a series of solo performances last weekend. Atsushi Takenouchi, whose body was caked with clay, explored the natural world in “Kizamu.” Denise Fujiwara played a ravaged mother who loses her child in Natsu Nakajima’s “Sumida River.” Taketeru Kudo was a scraggly creature in “Go-Znrashi,” and Takuya lshi­de, performing “To a Wounded Bird Who Doesn’t Stop Pecking Me,” alternated jerky dance steps with movements at whip­lash speed, made all the more haunting by his masklike face. Each solo was full of compel­ling moments, yet fault could be found in the presentation: cliched lighting, quite a few false endings … Continued

Ms. Garnica, a Colombian artist, also presented “A Time­less Kaidan,” a three-part work featuring video and installation by Mr. Moriya. Referring to the Japanese word kaidan, which can mean scary story or staircase, the production “is a metaphor for my reflection to the staircase of human ambition,” as Ms. Garnica described it in her program notes. Of the three sections, the first was quite beautiful, largely be­cause of the way projections turned a maze of fabric into shimmering water. (Behind it was a staircase; through the billowy material, it seemed as if the dancers were hovering ghosts.) But for all … Continued

“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 body parts. A leg is tethered to one of five hanging streamers inscribed with words. Little bells hang off him on cords. An army cap tops his long hair. Small white clusters pasted to his body drop off as he moves. How long does it take him, squatting, to turn 180 … 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