I attended an evening of avant garde jazz and Butoh dance at Super Deluxe, really just to see how the venue works for live performance. It was pretty full, maybe 200 people, the event was Billy Bang a kind of 60's NYC free form jazz violinist playing with a well known Japanese koto (very big zither) player plus congas and a Butoh dancer. I quite ejoyed the music but then I always quite liked that sort of thing, it's formulaic and 60's retro, no one plays the instrument straight they are always exploring its bits, dropping stuff on it and generally dicking around, trouble with this is it always sounds the same, tapping, scratching, very high notes and discord. The old 'everyone has a go at freaking out' seems to go down well, 'its my happening and it's freaking me out' to quote Russ Meyer. The Butoh dancer is all a bit daft, it's like Marcel Marceau having a dick fit, like terrible 70's performance art, a man stuggles with his chains while wearing a blindfold, jesus. Well I did'nt expect to enjoy it but actually it was funny.
Hi Adam
Butoh dance is related to German expressionism for the 30´s Mary Wigman and all. The Japanese took the concept of moderm dance and converted it to there own culture. Interesting that Butoh is an import from the Germany....the overexaggeration of emotion in the arts being the key parrrell...Wagner etc...
Well I was wondering how things were working out for Christmas...I know it is a little hard to say at this point it would be great if you came for your birthday everything is still open and we can hit a few restaurants etc...let me know soon... the girls are starting to plan love James
Posted by: James Sutherland | November 21, 2005 at 11:44 AM