It is a visually-evocative film, both stark in its contrasts and rich in its emotional detail from the claustrophobic conformist offices of Japan to the almost paralyzing vastness of the American hinterland. The symmetrical composition shots, dead-pan humour, and quirky characters give the film a Wes Anderson feel, but with a deep personal investment that forces us to wonder how far would any of us go to follow our dreams, hopes, and beliefs.

Each night’s class consisted of Yamai-san leading us in utai, chanting, for an hour or so, followed by a short break; the rest of the evening was spent on shimai, dancing.

The tour will also locate remote town sites that no longer exist, including Tashme, Lemon Creek, Popoff, Slocan, Sandon and Rosebery. While they have a solemn past, several of these locations still have small but thriving Japanese Canadian communities.

In early 1942, fuelled by racism, Canada uprooted over 21,000 Japanese Canadians…

We are in a different era from the late 1950s, '60s and '70s decades when butoh was most strikingly and radically different from everything that was going on in Europe and North America. I think butoh now has infiltrated a lot of contemporary dance expression.