Taketeru Kudo | TEDxTokyo 2013
The source of Taketeru Kudo’s combustive physical artistry lies in a never-fulfilled quest to discover the core of human existence. His expressionist, creative butoh erupts from primitive emotions and sensuality rather than calculated muscular movements. While studying French literature at Keio University, Taketeru originally devoted himself to acting, modern dance and nichibu—a traditional Japanese dance form—before meeting his artistic destiny in butoh. After appearing on stage with butoh pioneers Koichi Tamano and Yukio Waguri, he began dancing solo in 1992. He also worked with butoh dance troupe Sankai Juku prior to establishing his own troupe, Tokyo Gien-kan, which channels the spirits of Jean-Louis Barrault, Vaslav Fomich Nijinsky and Yukio Mishima. Preserving the fire within that makes him a butoh dancer, Taketeru keeps dancing solo while frequently collaborating with artists and companies of various genres internationally.