“Ashi no Ura no Kamisori” (“The Foot on the Edge of the Knife”)
Taketeru Kudo became a butoh dancer at the age of 25 in 1992. He then spent a few years with the leading Tokyo-based Sankai-juku troupe before founding his own company, Tokyo Gien-kan, in the city in 1997. Since then he has toured widely, performing and doing workshops around Japan and in the United States, Germany, France, Holland, Belgium, Russia, Israel, Mexico, Singapore and South Korea. In addition, this native of the northern city of Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, has collaborated with artists including the Polish sculptor Magdalena Abakanovicz, the South Korean musician Choi Sori, various jazz performers and contemporary theater companies.
Now, as a new year begins, the globe-trotting Kudo will present his 2020 solo work “Ashi no Ura no Kamisori” (“The Foot on the Edge of the Knife”) at the Za-Koenji theater in Koenji, Tokyo, from January 12–16 — a piece whose title references one of the famous walking methods developed by the founder of butoh dance, Tatsumi Hijikata, and which Kudo says can greatly help people to live peacefully and healthily even in today’s difficult conditions.
So, don’t miss this great chance to marvel at this butoh dancer described in France’s prestigious Le Monde newspaper in July 2021 as no less than “a sensational performer.”
“Ashi no Ura no Kamisori” (“The Foot on the Edge of the Knife”) runs 12–16 Jan. at the Za-Koenji theatre, 3-minute walk from JR Koenji station. For details, call 03-3223-7500 or visit https://za-koenji.jp or http://kudo-taketeru.com.
