New York Butoh Institute
presents
A Free Virtual Butoh Festival Series
Natsu Nakajima- Photo by Makoto Onozuka.
Natsu Nakajima (b. 1943 Sakhalin) has been one of the most prominent figures in butoh dance since its foundation in Tokyo in the 1960s, and one of its foremost pioneers abroad. Training under both Hijikata Tatsumi and Kazuo Ohno, Nakajima went on to establish her own dance company, Muteki-sha, in 1969, with whom she has been performing and choreographing internationally since the early 1980s. Her highly acclaimed performance of ‘Niwa’ at LIFT ‘83 (London) marked the beginning of this international touring career and led to performances at festivals such as FIND (Montreal), the Nancy Festival, and the Sydney Biennale. In addition to her performance and choreographic work, Nakajima has over thirty years of experience as a teacher and has been one of the forerunners of dance for the disabled in Japan. She is still teaching, choreographing, and performing today.
CREDITS
Choreographed and performed by Natsu Nakajima.
Filmed by Ryouta Asami at Ex Admedia at Bijyorin Facory in Saitama, Japan, in December 2020.
Music: “The Stars” and “Sea of Glass” from Nomad Songs by Stephan Micus. Copyright secured by Koichi Sugita at Asia Advisory (LTD).
This film was made with support from The Economy Industry Ministry of Japan as a “virtual performance,” and premiered live in Tokyo at Theatre X in July 2021.
This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, and by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.