Tatsumi Hijikata (1928-86) invented the revolutionary performance art Ankoku Butoh - now celebrated worldwide as one of the most innovative and haunting contemporary art forms. Hijikata is the supreme figure in the last half-century of Japans experimental culture; and remains a seminal and inspirational presence there for artists; choreographers; film-makers; musicians and writers. His influence is also prevalent in Europe; North and South America; and; increasingly; in other East Asian countries. Hijikatas dance of darkness; revered by Yukio Mishima; forms an ever-more prescient and revelatory performance art. This essential study of Hijikata is the first-ever account of his life and work in English; and is based on extensive interviews with his surviving collaborators. In particular; it looks at the engagement in Hijikatas work with European literary sources such as Artaud; Genet and Sade; and at his performance arts attempt to reconfigure the nature of memory and of the human anatomy. The book also traces the social turmoil of Tokyo during the period in which Hijikata was active in the city; and explores the ways in which his performance art was rendered into such forms as film and photography. Illustrated by 20 revealing photographs; HIJIKATA:circ;REVOLTcirc;OFcirc;THEcirc;BODY will be of vital interest to all readers engaged with performance art; theatre and film; as well as with Japanese culture in general.
#135599 in eBooks 2012-08-21 2012-08-21File Name: B0090POQMY
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Amazing reference!By modernfolkThe introduction offers some very insightful words. and the photographs of the poses are beautifully done. I wish that the pages contained detailed descriptions of the dynamics of each posture. but if you are an experienced hatha yoga practitioner. these can be ascertained by studying the photographs. It will be harder for a new yoga practitioner to get benefits from this book because of the lack of descriptions. That being said. the book is still inspiring and will become a great resource for the beginner who intends to stay with yoga. The images of a man in only a small amount of clothing shouldnt be an issue if you are an adult and dont see something shameful in the human body. Perhaps the reviewers who took issue with a man in a speedo-style garment should look beyond only one part of his anatomy and realize that the lack of clothing allows us to really see and study the form of the postures.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A little book with large Yogic impactBy Meredith LeblancThis little book has been sitting on my shelf for a while. I pick it up from time to time for inspiration. Sometimes I flip through the pages quickly to see Shri Dharma Mittra come to life in my hands. twisting. reaching. inverting. and folding. The simplicity of the black and white photos bring to life the power of the yoga practice.Asana: 608 Yoga Poses is a study of the third limb of yoga. asana or the physical poses. The exercise slice of the bigger pie of the yogic life that purifies and tones the body in preparation for pranayama (breath control exercises) and meditation. which ultimately lead to Self Realization.In 1983. Dharma Mittra took these 908 pictures of himself in asana. both in preparatory positions and in the full expression of them. He then lined up the pictures on a piece of cardboard for the famous poster. In 2003. he worked with editors to put the book together into 608 poses and had to retake some of the shots due to negative damage. So there is slight variations in the tone of the pictures. which adds a very subtle brightening and softening as you progress through the book.There is less than 25 pages of text amongst 668 pages. There are no instructions on how to do the poses. The words Dharma Mittra has written are an uncomplicated explanation of why and how we should practice yoga. The images truthfully tell the ability of the capability of the human body.This is a must have for the yoga practioner.7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. Buy the actual book. not the digital copyBy DRDPDRHorrible as a digital copy. its only available on the cloud not even the kindle. I still trying to figure out how to get my money back. Not worth the $12. I bought thinking I would have it on my kindle as reference when doing Yoga on the go (traveling) but turns out I have to be logged onto the internet to view the book.
