buto

American  

[boo-toh] / ˈbu toʊ /

Or butoh

noun

1. a contemporary expressionist dance form that originated in postwar Japan, first called Ankoku Butoh, or Dance of Utter Darkness.

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Etymology

Origin of buto

First recorded in 1955–60; Japanese, literally “dance,” from (ankoku) butō “dance (of darkness)”

Example Sentences

The style of buto now performed by Sankai Juku is an exercise in selective simplicity, like a piece of wood planed and smoothed so only the knot in the center remains.

From Time Magazine Archive