DAIRAKUDAKAN – a butoh company founded and led by MARO Akaji, a celebrated butoh dancer, as well as a choreographer, director and actor among his many talents – has produced this new dance movie shot entirely outdoors for this project.
It is directed by Omori Tatsushi, an award-winning filmmaker and son of MARO, and includes original music by American techno musician Jeff Mills who has been involved with many of DAIRAKUDAKAN’s productions in recent years.
The movie explores the roots of humankind’s long journey through the world-renowned artistry of “Butoh” and MARO’s original style of “Temptenshiki” (meaning “being born into this world is a great talent in itself”).
The dynamic combination of stillness and movement, and rich facial expressions by each performer vividly depicts how various life forms on Earth have inherited and passed on their DNA.

“We time slip to the Cambrian period more than 500 million years ago, where all life emerged like an explosion on the Archaean green land of this miraculous planet. It is a journey in search for the roots of humankind’s creation. It is our attempt to approach how humankind came into being through the imaginative power of butoh.
The most essential and fateful mission of all organisms living on this planet is ‘to carry their DNA to the next generation.’”
(MARO Akaji – founder/leader of DAIRAKUDAKAN, butoh dancer, choreographer, actor)

Presented by: The Japan Foundation (https://www.jpf.go.jp/e/)

＜Performance Credits＞
Choreography, dramaturgy and title letter: MARO Akaji
Cast: MARO Akaji, MURAMATSU Takuya, TAMURA Ikko, MATSUDA Atsushi, SHIOYA Tomoshi, ODA Naoya, SAKAZUME Kenta, ARAI Keita, ASO Takeru, TAKAKUWA Akiko, MUKU Naomi, FUJIMOTO Azusa, YANG Jongye, ITO Oran, SAIMON Yuna, TANIGUCHI Mai, TANIGUCHI Misako
Music: Jeff Mills
Costume: DOMOTO Kyoko
Producer: SHINFUNE Yoko (Dairakudakan), KONDO Takahiko (Harvest film Co., Ltd.)
Director of Photography: MAKI Kenji
Sound Recordist: YOSHIDA Noriyoshi
Editor HAYANO Ryo
Art Director: HORIME Genki
Production Manager: ARAMAKI Zenki, OTSUKA Hiroyuki, NAKAHARA Kazuhiko
Produced by: Dairakudakan / Camel Arts Co., Ltd. (http://www.dairakudakan.com/)
Associate Produced by Harvest film Co., Ltd.
Director: OMORI Tatsushi

(c) The Japan Foundation All Rights Reserved