UNDERSTANDING BUTOH: BECOMING OTHER: THE ROPE--THE LINE & THE SERPENT
UNDERSTANDING BUTOH: BECOMING OTHER: THE ROPE--THE LINE & THE SERPENT WRITTEN BY ARA FIG MMXXVI The White Ash and the Serpent: A Butoh Performance Score Phase I: The White Ash of the Cedar Forest The stage is no longer pine boards, but the ancient, damp earth of an old cedar forest, carpeted in deep green moss and fallen needles. No artificial lights strike the clearing; instead, pale, cold morning mist filters down through a dense canopy of towering cedar trunks, casting long, razor-sharp shadows that stretch into the undergrowth like black water.[^1] From the branching arch of an old, moldy, moss-covered torii gate, a single heavy rope hangs taut, spliced from rough, unbleached hemp. At the end of the rope, suspended upside down three inches above the damp roots, hangs a female dancer. Her body is completely coated in a thick, wet paste of chalk, rice flour, and water. As the cool mountain breeze touches her skin, the white crust cracks across her shoulder blades ...