Butoh on the buses
Today the number 8 bus route in Oxford experienced the boarding and alighting of 5 figures clad in an assortment of red and black items as members of Cafe Reason embarked on a guerilla butoh outing. Travelling singly, in pairs and as a group. We waited at bus stops, fidgeted in our seats, leaned with the sway of the bus as it rounded corners, adjusted our hair, scrabbled to find missing items or peered over our shoulders to see what was behind or through the windows.
Part of what butoh is about is making the familiar strange, seeing the world with fresh eyes. Today, having chosen red as our linking colour suddenly every person out on the street wearing red or carrying a red bag suddenly became more visible to us. Linked by a coiincidence of colour. This was an unexpected dimension that emerged from today’s outing.
In terms of quality and speed of movement we realised that we had left behind some of our butoh so hope that the next trip will see it return more clearly. This outing will not be our last. So you may see the bemusing sight of butoh bodies on a bus near you.