Hijikata: Revolt of the Body

Hijikita: Revolt of the Body examines the life and work of Tatsumi Hijikata (1928–86), who invented a revolutionary performance art and dance known as Ankoku Butoh, or “Dance of Darkness.” The Butoh style of performance and movement premiered in Japan in 1959 and developed in subsequent years in response to the student riots and the 1960s protest movement. Hijikata is the supreme figure in the last half-century of Japan’s experimental culture, and he remains a seminal and inspirational presence for Japanese artists, choreographers, film-makers, musicians, and writers.