As an underground dance style to emerge from Japan during the late-1950s, Butoh was wooed by Western critics and enjoyed great popularity from the 1980s to 1990s for its risqué appeal. Despite its origins, however, Butoh remains relatively underground in Japan and a new art form to Chinese dancers and audiences alike drawn by its grotesque makeup, distorted facial expressions and bold, twisting movements.

"Chinese dancers with a focus on Western techniques in contemporary dance are surprised to see such a dance form," said Japanese Butoh dancer Katsura Kan, who is in Beijing for the week-long Sino-Japan Contemporary Dance Forum at the Penghao Theater.

Butoh dancers focus on the primal subject of the body, said Kan, who was introduced to the dance style 33 years ago and has been an active promoter of it globally ever since.

"Our bodies are more than just physical forms. Butoh focuses on where the body comes from," explained Kan, who will give a Butoh performance and a workshop at the theater over the weekend. "[Butoh] is not based on techniques, but is about how we can find our body mentally and philosophically."

Butoh emanated from Tokyo in 1959 in a performance by contemporary dancers Tatsumi Hijikata and Yoshito Ono. Tackling taboo topics such as homosexuality and pedophilia in the show, the dance form was considered scandalous by audiences but garnered attention from critics for its influences of Japanese traditional Noh theater and German expressionist dance.

Controversial in its expression of the subconscious, Butoh focuses on dancers' perception of the world. Also known as "the dance of darkness," it explores the more sinister sides of daily life, while also providing insight into political issues through deeper, more obscure presentation, noted Kan.

The dance can be violent or peaceful, dynamic or slow; the most essential aspect is it frees dancers from any choreographed movements and uses rolls, crawls or jumps on stage in improvisational and conceptual movements.

"It's not a dance show, nor a theater one. The dance tends to go beyond techniques by examining the dark, often unseen sides of life. It isn't only about demonstrating how powerful the body can be, but also revealing how weak it can be, too," he said.

A drummer before joining a Butoh troupe in 1979, Kan only received basic training in how to make the body move and knowledge in the traditional Japanese dance.

With identical white makeup and similar movements, the avant-garde dance form can be boring to some audience members who don't have an inclination for the bizarre, admitted Kan. In October last year, the Kan-led Butoh show Curious Fish ran into trouble in Beijing after its original nude routine had to be changed to include clothed performers.

"Butoh shows something that can't be identified onstage. But if the audience keeps watching, gradually they give up thinking about the meaning and can interpret their own stories," Kan said.

When: 8 pm Saturday, September 8

Where: 35 Dongmianhua Hutong, Jiaodaokou Nandajie, Dongcheng district

Admission: Free

Contact: 6400-6472