The Foot on the Edge of Knife began its development in 2021 in Tokyo when COVID-19 was spreading all around the world. Composer Masaru Soga sent some 100 pieces of music to Taketeru Kudo who, at the time, was caught in Tokyo’s long-term lockdown and was anxious and irritated by it. He brought the music to his studio where, night by night, he tried to make a piece while still in the middle of confinement. It finally began to take shape after 3 months. It is a butoh piece, but people will see how Kudo worked to bring butoh to a different stage that no one has ever stepped on. The Foot on the Edge of Knife reflects the reality of the current world as he dances his embodied reflection of our human situation. This work premiered at Za-Koenji Public Theater in January 2022.

Presented as part of Vancouver International Dance Festival 2023.