Theatre
Solo Performance - "Gravity"
An Original Butoh Theatre Piece directed and performed by me inspired by theatre theorist Kazuo Ohno
Background on Kazuo Ohno and the Spirit of Butoh
Kazuo Ohno, a Japanese theatre practitioner and one of the founders of Butoh, also known as “the Dance of Utter Darkness.” His performances were deeply influenced by his haunting wartime experiences in China and New Guinea, which shaped his fascination with life, death, and the spiritual world. With guidance from Tatsumi Hijikata, Ohno began rejecting the conventional aesthetics of beauty and symmetry in modern dance, instead exploring themes of darkness, grotesque emotion, and raw humanity. Ohno believed that true performance must begin with spirit and consciousness rather than technique or structure. Through spontaneous, asymmetrical movement, minimal production, and white-painted bodies, he aimed to reveal the pure essence of life and the connection between humans and the natural world. His belief that “by dancing I bring the dead with me” inspired me profoundly, as I was drawn to his exploration of movement as a bridge between life and death.
Figure.1 Kazuo Ohno
Inspired by Ohno’s philosophy, my performance explored the perspective of the dead, their yearning for memories and time, and their struggle against the inevitable truth that all life must end. Using asymmetrical movement and gravity, I aimed to express the tension between the spirit’s desire to hold on to life and the forces that pull it away. My intention was to evoke reflection among audiences of different ages and backgrounds, to remind them of the brevity of life and the importance of treasuring each moment. Before learning about Ohno’s theory, I understood performance as structured and planned, but through Butoh, I learned that movement could be spontaneous and emotionally resonant even in stillness and imbalance. The manipulation of gravity and asymmetry in my performance symbolized the struggle between the physical and spiritual self, the yearning for existence, and the acceptance of life’s impermanence.
Figure.2 Picture from my performance
Click to watch the full recording of the performance piece - "Gravity"
Past Script Writing
Synopsis — “Behind the mirror”
In a world obsessed with binaries, good or evil, beauty or madness, hero or villain, the performance "Behind the mirror" challenges the audience to see beyond these surface judgments. Inspired by the symbolism of mirrors, the performance dismantles unconscious categorization and invites viewers to uncover the hidden complexity within the “overlooked.” Through the reimagined figures of Drizella, Captain Hook, and the Mad Hatter, the story reveals the humanity and purpose that lie beneath their eccentricities and flaws.
At the center stands the Mirror from Snow White, no longer a passive object of reflection, but a poetic narrator and sentient being with a story of his own. His awakening transforms the mirror from an observer into a symbol of self-awareness, confronting the audience with the question: “Did you ever care to look closer?”
What begins as a familiar fairy-tale world unravels into a vivid exploration of perception — urging the audience to see not what is shown, but what has always been hidden behind the glass.