Butoh

Here we find Suzi. She is a professional dancer in love with Butoh dancing. Butoh is a Japanese form of dance that emerged in post-World War II, in Japan in 1959. It was tackling taboo topics, and it seems to evoke a more liberating and provoking - yet sometimes grotesque performance.

Suzi rehearsing at St Margaret’s house, Edinburgh

At the beginning I didn’t understand Butoh, so I went to search for people that could tell me more about this dance. But I couldn’t rationally understand it enough, so, I then kept on watching videos and reading about it. The moment that I saw Suzi dancing I started to feel what she meant.

I saw Suzi becoming a tree, and then telling the tale of its life time. I saw her transmuting from a death-dancing skeleton into a new born, to then see a crawling baby that would remind me of my own innocence.

Butoh is to be experienced, I unfortunately haven’t yet taken the first step, but soon I will find the time and courage to experience this mysterious dance.
So far, I have been collaborating with Suzi for over a year. We focus on discovering new facets of ourselves - me through the lens of my camera, while she finds a new shape, a new story to tell.