A Life With Butoh and Japanese Performing Arts — An Interview of Midori Okuyama

Midori Okuyama is a Japanese theater producer who has always been involved with the Japanese performing arts. One of her main works is producing Sankai Juku, the most famous butoh dance company. In this interview, she talks about Japanese arts and how it is received by foreign audiences, explains to us what butoh is about, and how working with Sankai Juku changed her life.

From Primary School Shows to Theater Production

What was your first encounter with the theater?

In primary school! During my fifth year of primary school [in Japan, primary school lasts six years], I saw other kids do a play, and I immediately thought, “This is what I will do.” I felt I belonged on the stage and not among other spectators. The next year, I wrote scripts and gave directions for the primary school graduation show!

But actually, maybe it started even before that. When I was a child, the Japanese school year was less busy, and the curriculum was not as strict as today. There were more school hours and classes on Saturday morning, so there was some extra time to encourage children to do artistic activities. I think there was about a school show a month, during which children would sing, dance, and act. When I was 9 or 10…