Troupe avoids stigma of 'butoh' performance
By JAMES D. WATTS JR. World Scene Writer, 4/17/2004
The word "butoh" -- if recognized at all -- might conjure up images of a performer swathed in white makeup, face contorted into mask of pain and horror, moving with exaggerated slowness around a stage.
That's one reason why the performance group Djalma Primordial Science tries to avoid using the word "butoh" to title itself or its creations.
"Our approach has always been to wean people away from the cliches," said Jeff Gburek, a guitarist and composer who creates the sonic aspect of the troupe's performances. "The white paint, the slow movement, the associations with Hiroshima -- those things have no relation to us, or to what we do."
That is why Gburek and his collaborator, Ephia, chose "djalma" -- a word from the language of Java that best translates as "reincarnation into the human" -- as the name of this joint endeavor.
Djalma Primordial Science will present its performance work, "Myopia: The Secret Box Cars of Pubescence," Monday evening at the Nightingale Theater in Tulsa.
The ensemble, which includes performer Mari Akita, also will conduct a workshop Tuesday at the Nightingale, called "The Unsound Bodies of Butoh." The workshop begins at 6 p.m., and cost is $35 per person; call the theater at 587-8487 for reservations and more information.
Butoh is a style of performance that originated in Japan. In 1959, dancer Tatsumi Hijikata presented a piece titled "Kinjiki (Forbidden Colors)," inspired by a novel by Yukio Mishima. The work -- with its graphic portrayals of violence and intimation pederasty -- was an succes d'scandale.
Hijikata later named the art form "ankoku butoh" (dance of darkness) and over the years has expanded it to define a performance art style that incorporates extremes of physical motion to express equally extreme emotions.
"What we try to do is establish a relationship between the audience and the performers," Gburek said. "Butoh is about feelings, and the feelings the audience has about a piece are important. We try to detect these feelings, and work with them, in the course of presenting a piece. Butoh is always of the moment."
Theater:"Myopia: The Secret Box Cars of Pubescence" Presented by Djalma Primordial Science
When: 8 p.m. Monday
Where: Nightingale Theater, 1416 E. Fourth St.
Tickets: $10 adults, $8 students and seniors, available at the door or by calling 583-8487 [As of February 2007, 633-8666]