Sankai Juku create dreamlike performances which weave meticulous spellbinding movement with breathtaking large- scale staging in a theatrical experience quite unlike any other.
Founded by Artistic Director Ushio Amagatsu in 1975, the company has performed in more that 40 countries and over 700 cities and has won countless awards, including an Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production, confirming their status as Japan's finest example of Butoh.
Sadler's Wells is delighted to present two contrasting works from the company's repertoire over separate evenings. The first, Kinkan Shonen explores a boy's dream about life and death using mystic imagery as dancer's bodies slowly transform into a series of almost non human shapes, as a live peacock patrols the stage.
Toki, one of the company's newest works, is a mesmerising example of contemporary Butoh dance. performed by eight dancers on a stunning set that brings to mind elements of both science fiction and an ancient world.
Originating in Japan in the late 1950's, Butoh is an expressionist contemporary dance form characterised by the physical appearance of the dancers with white painted faces and shaved heads, and the use of abstract, sometimes grotesque, imagery.
Prog 1 Kinkan Shonen 18th & 19th Nov
Prog 2 Toki 21st – 23rd Nov