Emiko Agatsuma

Emiko Agatsuma Japan
International Collaborated Artist

Emiko has been dancing for 20 years as a Butoh dancer. She creates her
performance by researching the culture, customs, myths and religion. After
researching, she reconstructs them with her esthetics based on Butoh methods.
After she experienced the Great East Japan Earthquake, her dance theme has

been the soul. She has asked this question “After you die, your soul will be…”
for more than 300 people not only Japanese but also foreigners. The ideas are
related to people’s religion, local customs and their life style. Internet
communication also affects their ideas. It is always updating. Different ideas
about the soul gives her inspiration to produce new movements.
Japanese people think the ocean as the god. It gives human being a live, foods,
everything to live, but it sometimes deprives everything. This god is sometimes
compared to a woman. She gives a birth, raise children, mostly the image is
kind, but sometimes destroys everything.
This time, she will research the women’s customs and myth especially, and
create new movements. By that it will get the wide view. It is not the personal
issue.
There are many myths all over the world that the goddess feels jealousy
towards a woman of human and kills her. It is mysterious.