Ushio Amagatsu

©Yuji Arisugawa

Ushio Amagatsu

After going independent from the Dairakudakan butoh dance company led by Akaji Maro in 1975, Ushio Amagatsu formed his own company Sankai Juku. In 1977, this small company with just four male dancers gave their first public performance under the title Amagatsu Sho, and in 1978 presented the work titled Kinkan Shonen (The Kumquat Seed) that would established their name in the dance world. By 1980 they were already giving their first overseas performances in France. In their first year in Europe they won acknowledgement with performances at the Nancy Festival in the spring, the summer Avignon Festival and the autumn Sigma Festival, Bordeaux. With those performances the Sankai Juku name and the term “Butoh” rapidly spread throughout Europe. In 1982 the company entered an agreement with Théâtre de la Ville, Paris to do joint productions of new works. Since then these co-productions have continued at a pace of about one new work produced every two years. Recently, more than a quarter of a century after bursting onto the world dance scene, Sankai Juku was awarded the 2006 Asahi Performing Arts Grand Prix for the work TOKI – A Moment in the Weave of Time and the latest work TOBARI – As If in an Inexhaustible Flux continue to be presented to high acclaim. Until now, Sankai Juku has performed in approximately 700 cities in Europe, Asia, North America and Oceania.