Inclusive Movement Workshop ‘Heart’ by Butoh Dancer Saga Kobayashi
The various monstrous “forms” appearing in Hijikata Tatsumi's Butoh.
They are “forms” formed in the mud, huddled and gathered at the bottom of a water tank.
They collapse in their attempt to become “form”, yet collapse only to strive once more to become “form”.
Formed within a timeless time, without beginning or end.
These “forms”. “Form” contains “life” within it; life pursues form,
and form pursues life.
Date
Saturday, 21st February 2026, 13:30 - 15:30
Venue
4F, Conference room, South Building, Mita Campus, Keio University (“2” on the campus map)
Audience
10 participants and accompanying persons (sign language interpretation available)
Cost
Free of charge
Enquiries and bookings
If you have any concerns or uncertainties, please contact us at the address below.
Contact: Midori Moriyama / Kae Ishimoto
pj.ca.oiek.c-tra@werc-cauk
Tel. 03-5427-1621
Date
Saturday, 21st February 2026, 13:30 - 15:30
Venue
4F, Conference room, South Building, Mita Campus, Keio University (“2” on the campus map)
Audience
10 participants and accompanying persons (sign language interpretation available)
Cost
Free of charge
Booking
*Advance registration is required by Thursday, 12 February 2026. Should applications exceed capacity, places will be allocated by lottery.
Registration form
Lecturer/Performer
Saga Kobayashi
Saga Kobayashi first encountered Tatsumi Hijikata’s Butoh performances in 1968, joining the “Tatsumi Hijikata Hangi-Daitōkan” the next year. She performed in multiple Tatsumi Hijikata productions, including Twenty-Seven Nights for Four Seasons at Art Theatre Shinjuku Bunka, Quiet House at the Seibu Theater in Tokyo, and Summer Storm at the Seibu-Kodo Hall of Kyoto University. In 1975, she went independent and formed a company with Ryuichi Tachibana called the Suisei Kurabu (lit. “Comet Club”). Then, in 1985, she formed Saga Kobayashi + Nosuri, putting on the “Aura Series” that dove into the world of the unconscious, such as Tsukihime (Gekki): Muishiki no Hana (lit. “Moon Princess: the Unconscious Flower”) at Theatre Tram. Since 2019 she has returned to the roots of Butoh through solo and group performances as a part of the “Untitled Series,” exploring new perspectives and possibilities for the future of the artform. She has also been active abroad in Europe and other countries. In 1980, she participated in the Japan Festival and performed Hijikata’s Nihon no Chibusa (lit. “Breasts of Japan”) alongside Yoko Ashikawa in six different countries in Europe.
In 2024, Saga Kobayashi performed Gen no Ji no Kodomo (lit. “Children of the Phantom Letters”) at Studio Terpsichore, which received an award from the Dance Critics Society of Japan. That same year, a screening, workshop, and performance of her 1977 solo rendition of Nigai Hikari (lit. “Bitter Light”) was held at Yale University.
Publications: Ume no Sunakusa — Words of Butoh, Publisher: Atelier Third
Enquiries and bookings
If you have any concerns or uncertainties, please contact us at the address below.
Contact: Midori Moriyama / Kae Ishimoto
pj.ca.oiek.c-tra@werc-cauk
Tel. 03-5427-1621
Organiser(s)
Host: Keio University Art Center - KUAC(Keio University)
Supported by Arts Council Tokyo
The accessibility support for this project is subsidized by Arts Council Tokyo as part of the Tokyo
Cultural Strategy 2030ʼs "Creative Well-being Tokyo" initiative, aiming for the realization of an
inclusive society in which everyone has access to arts and culture.
What's on
- Introduction to Art Archive XXVIII: In the Shadows: The Obscure World of Tatsumi Hijikata’s Choreography
- Keio University Mita Campus Architecture Open Day
- Introduction to Art Archive XXIX: Yoshio Taniguchi in Keio
- 【Inclusive program】Architecture Open Day related workshops "Haptic appreciation workshop──enjoying sculptures"
- Inclusive Movement Workshop ‘Heart’ by Butoh Dancer Saga Kobayashi