Akaji Maro, Kotuchen

“I wanted to put a big banner on the question, what is Butoh?” says Yoko Shioya of the Japan Society. You could be forgiven for thinking that the haunting dance form, born in postwar Japan, is defined by only its most basic elements: excruciatingly slow stylized movement and white-powdered skin. But it’s grown into much more than that, embracing Western dance influences, such as faster pacing, to create a fusion of forms.

“I’m presenting a smorgasbord in order to give artists, critics and scholars a look at what is happening under its umbrella,” says Shioya. Along with this year’s New York Butoh Festival—which is staged by Williamsburg art collective CAVE—the Japan Society offers “Kazuo Ohno 101: 3-Week Butoh Parade,” to honor the 101st birthday of Kazuo Ohno, a pioneer of the form. Though Ohno no longer performs, his son, Yoshito Ohno, will appear in Emptiness (Kuu), a chilling solo work that best exemplifies aspects of more traditional Butoh.

A new wave of Butoh-inspired performers will also be on view. At the Japan Society, Akaji Maro’s theater-fusion company, Kochuten, unveils contemporary works by its members. Downtown, as part of the New York Butoh Festival, Ximena Garnica, of CAVE, integrates Butoh dance with installation in A Timeless Kai-dan, and she’s organized six workshops lead by masters including Yoshito Ohno and Akira Kasai.

To help viewers get the most out of conventional Butoh, Shioya suggests that getting a good night’s sleep is key (watching mesmeric dance is problematic when you’re nodding off). “For nonconventional Butoh, I recommend the audience have the same attitude that I have: Forget about the Butoh label and just watch,” she says. “Place yourself in as neutral a position as possible and then take it as an art piece. If it speaks to you, it is a good piece.”

For a full festival schedule and information on workshops, go to nybf.caveartspace.org.