Routledge Performance Practitioners is a series of introductory guides to the key theatre-makers of the last century. Each volume explains the background to and the work of one of the major influences on twentieth- and twenty-first-century performance.

These compact, well-illustrated and clearly written books unravel the contribution of modern theatre's most charismatic innovators. Hijikata Tatsumi and Ohno Kazuo is the first book to combine:
· an account of the founding of Japanese butoh through the partnership of Hijikata and Ohno, extending to the larger story of butoh's international assimilation.
· an exploration of the impact of the social and political issues of post World War II Japan on the aesthetic development of butoh.
· metamorphic dance experiences that students of butoh can explore.
· a glossary of English and Japanese terms.

As a first step towards critical understanding, and as an initial exploration before going on tofurther, primary research, Routledge Performance Practitioners are unbeatable value for today's student.