The Japanese word for butoh in it's most general sense, means dance. It is taken from the character pronouned "bu" which is the middle character in Kabuki (kabuki itself is a term comprised of three characters meaning song (ka) dance (bu) action (ki). However the term butoh has come to imply the more avant-garde performance dance that only recently has gained widespread popularity and acceptance. It is a cathartic, often ghoulish display, employing an intense control of the human body as the exclusive instrument of expression to depict the joy of life, shadow of death and the thin veil that separates them. *Source: Back of card