[COMMA] Butoh Workshop with Agatsuma Emiko

The Singapore Butoh Collective is a young community initiative dedicated to the cultivation and sustained longevity of butoh culture in Singapore and Southeast Asia, nurturing and uniting a new generation of emerging butoh dancers and practitioners. Butoh*, as an esoteric Japanese avant-garde dance form, can often appear intimidating and inaccessible to those who are unfamiliar with its origins and history. Recognising this, the collective is committed to making butoh less insular, ensuring accessibility for a broader audience. An ongoing inquiry within the collective involves understanding the butoh body within a Southeast Asian context and exploring the political implications of what it means to practice butoh as a Singaporean body.

@singaporebutohcollective (IG)

Agatsuma Emiko is a versatile artist recognised for her role as a Butoh* dancer, choreographer, and Art Director at AGAXART, a platform dedicated to nurturing Butoh talent in Japan.

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She received the Best Young Artist award from the Japan Dance Critics Association in 2015 and was selected to represent Japan at the 39th annual Battery Dance Festival in New York City in 2020. Since 2022, she has organized the HOKUSAI MANGA BUTOH project, and was invited to perform “So Zo Ro” to represent Japan in Japan Focus at the Wan theatre in Taipei in 2024. Her international acclaim stems from her innovative approach to Butoh, blending her unique method and aesthetics to create groundbreaking performances.