Gender performativity in Butoh: gender subversion by Nyoba Kan in Malaysia

This thesis examines the presence of subversive gender performativity in Butoh, a contemporary Japanese dance genre, ofthe Nyoba Kan dance company in Malaysia. The theory of gender performativity refers to gender roles performed by performers irrespective of their biological sex. As a social construct, gender performativity focuses on the idea of performing gender roles by the Nyoba Kan dancers who contestthe hegemonic relationships assumed under normative gender roles. Subversive gender performativity, and acts of subverting normative gender roles, have become mainstream in performances of Butoh by Nyoba Kan. This study aims to show how subversive gender performativity has constructed Butoh performances as a distinctive representation of Butoh in Malaysia. As a pioneer of Butoh dance in Malaysia, Nyoba Kan uses contrastive gender identities to circumvent the predominant gender norms expected by a Malaysian audience. Hence, this study testifies to the presence of subversive gender performativity in its repertoire. This thesis posits that subversive gender performativity has become an ideological discourse in Nyoba Kan's Butoh choreographies. Thus, it is necessary that the trajectory of gender performativity is contextualised through studies Butoh performances staged by Nyoba Kan that purposefully contest with normative gender roles. Nyoba Kan's Butoh has introduced the notion of contrasting and transgressing normative gender roles in Butoh choreographies and has demystified sex and gender correlations in Butoh dance in Malaysia.