REBELLIOUS BODIES BUTOH FESTIVAL to Open at The Place

Rebellious Bodies Butoh Festival 2026 will bring five Japanese butoh artists to The Place on 13 and 14 November. Friday's An Evening of Butoh Performance features four short works, followed on Saturday by Mother Forest, a striking, once-in-a-lifetime ensemble piece in homage to Kazuo Ohno. It is led by the legendary Mitsuyo Uesugi, who trained and performed alongside Ohno for decades and returns to The Place 46 years after she first danced there on his European tour.

Mitsuyo Uesugi will be joined by Makiko Takamatsu, Seiji Tanaka and the duo MUTSUMINEIRO, who bring three generations of butoh lineage together on one stage.

Between 16 October and 12 November, the festival also screens all three films of Ohno's Mr. O trilogy at venues across London. The final film, Mr. O's Book of the Dead, will be followed by a talk with Uesugi, who took part in it 50 years ago.