Amy Yee, Ashes to Ashes. Wall Street Journal, Nov. 8, 2010.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303341904575576713745365920.html
Note:
(a) Sankai Juku 山海 塾
http://www.sankaijuku.com/
(b) butoh
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butoh
(舞踏; typically involves playful and grotesque imagery, taboo topics, extreme or absurd environments, and is traditionally performed in white body makeup with slow hyper-controlled motion; appeared first in Japan following World War II and specifically after student riots)
(c) alabaster
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alabaster
(opening paragaph; section 1 Etymology)
(d) Ushio AMAGATSU 天児 牛大 (1949- )
An old photo:
Ushio Amagatsu & Peter Eötvös
photo by Gerard Amsellem
http://www.eotvospeter.com/compos/three_sisters/info.htm
(e) tobari (とばり; 帳, 帷) (n): "curtain; hanging e.g., 夜のとばりが下りつつある。 Darkness is falling."
Jim Breen'd online Japanese dictionary
(f) sarong
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarong
(In strict usage, sarong [Malay, "sheath"] denotes the lower garment worn by the Malay people, both men and women)
(g) pinprick (n): "a small puncture made by or as if by a pin" www.m-w.com
(h) Polaris ポラリス or 北極星 in Japanese
(j) A vedeo clip of Tobari (uploaded by Zangtoh on May 28, 2009)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oap9HOnwDZ0