About Nyx
What is Butoh?
Born in Japan in the 1950s, the Butoh movement commenced as a response to the socio-cultural changes originated in WWII. Undefinable by essence, trying to formalize this artistic expression with words is just a confinement of its richness and possibilities. Even if over the years many have defined it as an "avant-garde japanese dance", this defition is far from being accurate. To begin with, given the revolutionary tenor of its representations (which involved gestures or movements not considered "beautiful" or "aesthetic" according to "dance standards"), the first Japanese butoh artists were not allowed to use the name "舞踊" ("buyou", dance) to define this expression. Besides, even if its geographical origin was in Japan and is utterly related to Japanese traditional arts and aesthetics such as the Noh Imperial Theatre, Kabuki, Wabi-sabi, and Martial Arts, the connection with Western artistic disciplines and movements such as ballet, dance-theatre (Tanztheater), pantomime, German expressionism and contemporary dance is fundamental, which brings infinite expressive possibilities to the artists. If we take into account the fact that it was finally named after an old disused Japanese word which meant "European Ballroom Dancing" (舞踏, "butoh"), we can easily observe that the connection between the influences from the East and the West is essential.
Originally known as Ankoku Butoh (暗黒舞踏, "the dance of the shadows"), its main aim has always been to bring to light what is veiled, hidden. As two faces from the same coin, butoh creators Tatsumi Hijikata and Kazuo Ohno parted from opposite standing points in their understanding of creation: whereas Hijikata considered emotions as the product of certain physical triggers and positions, Ohno's approach implied arriving to gestures and postures using images or emotions as a starting points. Sensei Yoshito Ohno -who was in charge of uniting both creators- has an interesting definition, which encompasses both perspectives: "Butoh is the middle point between essence and existence."
Possibly, the most fundamental definition of butoh could be "poetry with the body". Navigating the unconscious and its images, this discipline transports us to a dimension where the impossible becomes reality and where all possibilities coexist at once. Butoh is not "naked bodies painted in white making weird gestures", butoh is not necessarily obscure, monstruous, or even ugly... butoh is not a pose, it is not an aesthetic... butoh is the embodiment of that which cannot be expressed in words.
Originally known as Ankoku Butoh (暗黒舞踏, "the dance of the shadows"), its main aim has always been to bring to light what is veiled, hidden. As two faces from the same coin, butoh creators Tatsumi Hijikata and Kazuo Ohno parted from opposite standing points in their understanding of creation: whereas Hijikata considered emotions as the product of certain physical triggers and positions, Ohno's approach implied arriving to gestures and postures using images or emotions as a starting points. Sensei Yoshito Ohno -who was in charge of uniting both creators- has an interesting definition, which encompasses both perspectives: "Butoh is the middle point between essence and existence."
Possibly, the most fundamental definition of butoh could be "poetry with the body". Navigating the unconscious and its images, this discipline transports us to a dimension where the impossible becomes reality and where all possibilities coexist at once. Butoh is not "naked bodies painted in white making weird gestures", butoh is not necessarily obscure, monstruous, or even ugly... butoh is not a pose, it is not an aesthetic... butoh is the embodiment of that which cannot be expressed in words.
Why Nyx?
Conceived as the personification of the Night, Nyx is one of the ancient Protogeno, the basic components of the universe. She was a primordial deity in Greek mythology, preceding the Titans and the Olympians. Such as butoh was born as a response to the atrocious atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Nyx was born from Chaos, which makes her one of the first creatures ever to emerge from the void. Her astounding power of transformation, as well as her fierce nature made most creatures fear of her; even Zeus himself avoided to contend against her. Her might could be regarded as a precious metaphor of the liberating and transforming power of butoh.
Alike the numerous characters and emotions that can arise from butoh practice, Nyx's various offspring show the many shades that can emanate from darkness itself. Among these deities and principles, one can list: Akhlys (the Mist of Death), Moros (doom, destiny), Thanatos (death), Hypnos (sleep), the Oneiroi (dreams), Momus (satire, blame), Oizys (woe, pain, distress), the Hesperides (evening, sunset), the Moirai (fates), the Keres (spirits of death and destruction), Nemesis (indignation, retribution, heavenly punishment for excessive hybris or pride, balance), Apate (deceit), Philotes (affection, friendship and sexual intercourse), Geras (old age), Eris (discord, strife), Styx (boundary between life and death), Aether (air, light), Epiphron (prudence), Sophrosyne (self-control, restraint, discretion), Dolos (Trickery and deception), Eleos (mercy, pity and compassion), Fates (personifications of Destiny), Hemera (day), Ponos (pain), Charon (Ferryman of Hades), The Furies (vengeance), Elpis (Hope) and Lyssa (madness).
Alike the numerous characters and emotions that can arise from butoh practice, Nyx's various offspring show the many shades that can emanate from darkness itself. Among these deities and principles, one can list: Akhlys (the Mist of Death), Moros (doom, destiny), Thanatos (death), Hypnos (sleep), the Oneiroi (dreams), Momus (satire, blame), Oizys (woe, pain, distress), the Hesperides (evening, sunset), the Moirai (fates), the Keres (spirits of death and destruction), Nemesis (indignation, retribution, heavenly punishment for excessive hybris or pride, balance), Apate (deceit), Philotes (affection, friendship and sexual intercourse), Geras (old age), Eris (discord, strife), Styx (boundary between life and death), Aether (air, light), Epiphron (prudence), Sophrosyne (self-control, restraint, discretion), Dolos (Trickery and deception), Eleos (mercy, pity and compassion), Fates (personifications of Destiny), Hemera (day), Ponos (pain), Charon (Ferryman of Hades), The Furies (vengeance), Elpis (Hope) and Lyssa (madness).
About Luciana Sayanes:
Born in Buenos Aires on September 2nd, 1982, Luciana Sayanes graduated from the Argentine Catholic University with a BA in Political Science and a Minor in International Relations. In 2005 she received a merit scholarship at the University of Richmond (Virginia, USA), and in 2007 she was granted by the Indian Embassy in Argentina to deepen her studies in New Delhi. These experiences abroad deepened her research and interest in both intercultural exchange and sociopolitical issues such as gender studies and social control.
Thereafter, she devoted herself to delving into her artistic training, willing to link her creative and political aspects, both in terms of production and generation of projects and on stage. In the field of music, she worked as a singer in operas (Suor Angelica, Gianni Schicchi) and bands of different genres (jazz, pop, rock, fusion). In terms of acting, she deepened her expressive research within the fields of anthropological theater, clowning and masks. As for dance and movement, she specialized herself in butoh dance (with masters Tadashi Endo and Yoshito Ohno, among others), and martial arts; having developed as a teacher of both disciplines.
In the field of cultural management, she has worked as a producer for Compañía Lírica Integral (Opera), Colectivo Butoh and Mundo Butoh Argentina (Butoh). She is the founder and Director of Benzaiten Collective, Hachinosu Music Project and Nyx Butoh, groups dedicated to artistic experimentation, creation and dissemination of the Arts in the world. She is currently touring around the world, carrying out artistic research projects and seminars which interweave butoh with spirituality and social issues.
Thereafter, she devoted herself to delving into her artistic training, willing to link her creative and political aspects, both in terms of production and generation of projects and on stage. In the field of music, she worked as a singer in operas (Suor Angelica, Gianni Schicchi) and bands of different genres (jazz, pop, rock, fusion). In terms of acting, she deepened her expressive research within the fields of anthropological theater, clowning and masks. As for dance and movement, she specialized herself in butoh dance (with masters Tadashi Endo and Yoshito Ohno, among others), and martial arts; having developed as a teacher of both disciplines.
In the field of cultural management, she has worked as a producer for Compañía Lírica Integral (Opera), Colectivo Butoh and Mundo Butoh Argentina (Butoh). She is the founder and Director of Benzaiten Collective, Hachinosu Music Project and Nyx Butoh, groups dedicated to artistic experimentation, creation and dissemination of the Arts in the world. She is currently touring around the world, carrying out artistic research projects and seminars which interweave butoh with spirituality and social issues.