PROFILE

English translation cooperation : Electra HUI、Ryoko Gomi 　　　　

The Asahi Shimbun, the Evening Edition, March 7, 1978
Well-received in Paris: An Antoku Butoh Performance
Koh Murobushi, Carlotta Ikeda, and others who belong to an Ankoku-Butoh dance group that represents Japanese avant-garde dance,
performed for one month in Paris and were well received. Ankoku-Butoh, a dance style founded by Tatsumi Hijikata, has performers of various talents and small groups. Three dancers performed this time: Koh Murobushi, the leader of the Ankoku-Butoh group, ゛Sebi"and Carlotta Ikeda and Mizelle Hanaoka of the female Ankoku-Butoh group,
"Ariadne no Kai (Ariadneﾕs Society)."
The performance run began January 27 at the Parisian theater, Nouveau Carr�. The piece was entitled, "The Last ParadiseﾑThe Gate Beyond."
According to Koh Murobushiﾕs comment to Asashi Shimbun, despite the performanceﾕs rather moderate advertising prior to the performance,
once the curtain rose, the small theater for 150 people was filled with those standing, and some could not even enter on Fridays or Saturdays though weekdays were fine. Many TV and radio broadcasters came to report, and both Le Monde and La Libёation gave very positive reviews. La Libёation was enthusiastic enough to devote nearly an entire page to photos of the performance and an acclamatory review.
Due to this reception, the performance that was meant to run for only a month was extended under the theater"s request. It was reported that even the famous writer, Andrё Pieyre de Mandiargues, was seen attending, pleasing the performers.
Having temporarily returned to Japan after watching this performance in Paris, Katsuhiko Oida, an actor of the International Center for Theater Research (CIRT) in Paris headed by stage director Peter Brook, commented, "Because the unique dance style and techniques found in Ankoku-Butoh are utterly unfamiliar in Europe, the performance was so different from European dance that it shocked the Parisians."
The Yomiuri Shimbun, the Evening Edition, March 13, 1978
Wonderful High Popularity: Noboru Kouzuki and Koh Murobushi / Two news updates from Paris
Our performing arts have finally experienced globalization; news has come in from Paris one after another.
The first one is about Noboru Kouzuki, known as Gon-chan. Her solo tour in Europe scheduled for this February was put on hold, but she will be performing at Folies Bergere this coming April. For two months beginning last September, she was the first East Asian performer at this venue. The owner of the Folie Bergere, Nelene Martini, liked her performance and asked her to perform at her venue again. This time, Folies Bergere's actress, Liliane Montevecchi--- will be replaced by Kouzuki to star in the show. . . . There was another invitation from the newly opened Jardin Theater at the Champs d' Elysegs. This all reflects Kouzukiﾕs popularity.
The second news is in regards to Koh Murobushi of "Sebi,"an Ankoku-Butoh group. Last December, he suddenly decided to leave for Paris with Carlotta Ikeda and Mizelle Hanaoka of ﾒAriadne no Kai (Ariadneﾕs Society)." They were initially planning to tour several caberets, however, they were, by chance, brought to perform at the theater, Nouveau Carr�. The show was entitled "The Last ParadiseﾑThe Gate Beyond." It was well received.
Le Monde: "Surrealistic atmosphere, truly boiling."
Le Libeation: "Frowns, smiles, vulgar humor; there, everything
harmonizes together."
The song and dance of Kouzuki, the Ankoku-Butoh of Murobushiﾕs trio. Paris seems just to take in everything
(The one in the photograph is Koh Murobushi.)
Tokyo Chunichi Sports Shimbun, April 22, 1978.
Underground Butoh Dance Acclaimed in Paris-Murobushi Trio to Give "Triumphal Performances"
Treated as heresy in Japan, underground Butoh flew to France and became a huge success. Parisians praised it as "a spectacle dance we have never seen before."The three Butoh dancers received positive reviews by Le Monde and others. They were Koh Murobushi of the Butoh group, "Sebi," and Carlotta Ikeda and Mizelle Hanaoka of the female Butoh group, "Ariadne no Kai (Ariadneﾕs Society)." In May these three will give "triumphal performances" in Tokyo and Nagoya. From May 3 to 5, Murobushi will appear in the performance, "Kaze-sakashima," of Dairakuda-kan　Temputenshiki led by his former teacher, Akaji Maro. It will take place at Kubo Hall in Toranomon, Tokyo.
In the meantime, after a year-long interval, Carlotta Ikeda and Mizelle Hanaoka will perform "Mesu-Kazan vol.3 Irezume (Female Volcano vol.3 Tattoos)" on May 19 and 20 at Suzuran-minami Theater in Osone, Nagoya. Last December, these three went to France intending to perform at the cabarets of Paris; however, they were turned away for being too shocking and unsuitable for those who go for a drink. They were then introduced to the Nouveau Carr� theater, known as the Goethe, and performed there. It ran long, lasting from January 27 to February 25. The performance, entitled "The Last Paradise," gained great popularity attracting even the famous writers Andres Pieyre de Mandiargues and Jean Genet.
Murobushi accepted the success humbly, saying, "In Japan, people are prejudiced, but French people are avid theater-goers. I appreciate the French people who welcomed us so warmly."
Nihon Dokusho Shimbun, May 29, 1978.

Mesu-Kazan & Sebi. Having Watched "The Last ParadiseﾑThe Gate Beyond" in Paris / by Yuko Deguchi
-Butoh-
"Ankoku-Butoh" A Silent Play

<Paris of the Endless Rain>
This winter, by chance I watched the performance of a Butoh group called "Sebi" in Paris. It was the evening of February 2nd, and it was in a theater called Nouveau Carr� in the 3rd district"to be more precise, it was on a small stage inside the theater. It had been raining day after day at the time, and that night was also raining gloomily, yet, I remember that most of the seats were taken. According to Koh Murobushi, that was actually the least crowded night, and there were several sold out nights. In other words, the first performance of Ankoku-Butoh in Paris was a success.
Carlotta Idea and Mizelle Hanaoka's dance with a cow head and a horse head, Murobushi, Ikeda, and Hanaoka's dance to Ravel's Bolero and Yukio Mishima's scream in Ichigaya (!), and Murobushi's solo dance of a mummy. Overall, they adopted much more intensely violent and large movements than expected and stage devices were abundant, so there was no time to be bored, even for the common person.
Martine Matthias, negotiator between "Sebi" and the French side, worked effectively; with the help of an excellent performance program in French that she mostly made, the audience could follow Ankoku- Butoh with detailed information. It provided a history that began with the birth of "dances des tenebres" in postwar Japan to the careful introduction of "anti-dance" as anti-traditional Japanese dance and anti-Western dance. Koh Murobushi's "Declaration"was also translated with a concise French description for each scene. This careful attention is more important that often thought;
once a work is introduced carelessly, especially abroad, the work appears trifling

In this sense, I think "Sebi" was fortunate.
<A French Theater Addict>
For a year I lived in an apartment which had nothing but a great view from the top of Montmartre. The owner of the building was a guy who had lived in Japan for no less than five years, and he was a theater addict. He of course watched traditional Japanese dramas, but he also watched underground plays too. Somehow, however, it seemed like he hadnﾕt been able to see Ankoku-Butoh. This landlord had already watched "Sebi" perform by the time I mentioned it, so we started discussing it at once. It was partially because he had seen it for the first time that he was really enthusiastic. As a result, I wound up listening to a feverish lecture on Japanese Ankoku- Butoh from this big French man. Afterwards, he went out to see the
performance two more times, and it seems like he ended up taking pictures like crazy. His approach to theater changed, but he says that linguistics is his lifework. I know nothing about his achievements in that field. I do, however, know that he has great skills in photography. The photos that he took in Japan, like of Bunraku (Japanese traditional puppet theater), were nearly
professional which is why I believe that he took some great photos this time too.
<Professionalism of Parisians>

La Liberation devoted a full page introduction to this performance. There should be other positive reviews here and there, but I was too lazy to collect such information, so I don't know any further. Judging exclusively from the excitement of the owner, I feel that the first performance of Ankoku-Butoh in Paris caught the lucky star. Besides, the theater, Nouveau Carr�, also did pretty well as far as I know. The stage devices perfectly suited the three dances, and the lighting and music were as expected from professionals. I have many complaints about Parisians, and yet, I can't help but show my respect for their professionalism towards spectacles in general.
There is something else that comes to mind though. The owner and I mostly agreed about the performance of "Sebi," but he, in the end, insisted that it was a silent play or Theatr Mue� rather than Butoh or a dance. He claimed that it was neither a silent show nor pantomime but Theatre Mue, but I wonder what that means.
(Written by Yuko Deguchi, a French literature scholar)

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