Butoh is a contemporary avant-garde dance form which originated in Japan and was first performed there in 1959. It combines dance, theatre, improvisation and influences of Japanese traditional performing arts with German Expressionist dance (Neue Tanz) and performance art to create a unique performing art form that is both controversial and universal in its expression. It has become an international art form with artists and groups devoted to teaching and performing it in East and South-East Asia, North and South America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Hawaii.