Japan's next generation.

Five choreographers from Japan's alternative dance scene will perform at the Japan Society in its 9th Annual Japanese Contemporary Dance Showcase Jan. 20-21. Each one creates her or his own aesthetic outpost. Tatsuya Kusuhara's physical/theater troupe APE satirizes Japanese business culture. In Yukiko Amano's work, a skein of twine loops around her neck, the ball scooting on the floor in response to her moves--a leash, a noose, or just women's work? Flicks and flashes speed like electricity through a solo by Youya Shinjo, well known in Japan for his TV work. Kaoru Uchida's Roussewaltz reflects the romantic and hard realities of women's lives. And, Shinonome Butoh (below) breaks with the glacial pacing of Butoh to bring a lighter sensibility to the tradition. See www.japansociety.org.