Kokoro Dance (also known as ''Kokoro Dance Theatre Society'') is one of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

's leading

butoh is a form of Japanese dance theatre that encompasses a diverse range of activities, techniques and motivations for dance, performance, or movement. Following World War II, butoh arose in 1959 through collaborations between its two key founder ...

dance troupes. Based in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, it was founded in 1986 by artistic directors Barbara Bourget and

Japanese Canadian are Canadians, Canadian citizens of Japanese people, Japanese ancestry. Japanese Canadians are mostly concentrated in Western Canada, especially in the province of Japanese Canadians in British Columbia, British Columbia, which hosts the largest ...

Jay Hirabayashi. They have performed across

, in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, and abroad. As is characteristic of butoh dance, they often perform naked, shaved heads, and covered in white body make-up. The company runs programming for young audiences, as well as adults. They perform an annual dance at Vancouver's clothing-optional

Wreck Beach Wreck Beach ( Squamish: Ts'at'lhm) is a nude beach located in Pacific Spirit Regional Park, a part of Electoral Area A just west of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The clothing-optional section is clearly marked with signs and stretch ...

. Some of their numerous works include: *''Dis/Zero'' (1987) *''Episode in Blue: A Cantata from Hell'' (1988) *''Zero to the Power'' (1989) *''Crime Against Grace'' (2001) *''Sheepman Dreams'' (2003) *''Tutaj Tam/Here to There'' (2005) *''Sunyata'' (1991, 1997, 2006)

References

External links

Official site
Butoh dance companies Dance companies in Canada Performing arts in Vancouver {{contemporary-dance-stub