Claude Hofer’s book Emotional Waves is the first publication of its kind to comprehensively explore and document two internationally renowned dance forms – Japanese Butoh and contemporary dance. Over the course of ten years, the Swiss photographer traveled across the globe, meeting more than one hundred artists from both genres, most of whom performed specifically for his camera.
At the heart of his intense black-and-white photographs are the people themselves. With an impressive instinct for the decisive moment, Hofer captures the instances in which the dancers reveal a unique and profound connection between body and mind. The images are characterized by emotional depth and immediate intensity, drawing the viewer into the world of dance.
Why is the dancer on the cover balancing a baguette on her head? Perhaps because dance is about balance, concentration, and control of the body. This simple everyday object could thus become a poetic symbol of the precision, tension, and aesthetic that define Claude Hofer’s photographs of Butoh and contemporary dance.
Claude Hofer worked for many years as a portfolio manager and investment specialist at various Swiss banks before attending photography courses at the Swiss School of Journalism (MAZ) in Lucerne from 2018 to 2020, completing the program with a diploma. In recent years, he has devoted himself almost exclusively to Butoh and contemporary dance. Inspired by photographers such as Eikoh Hosoe, Hofer developed his own approach to capturing the expressive power of dance.
Emotional Waves, published by Kehrer Verlag, presents a selection of these impressive works and offers a unique insight into the world of movement, emotion, and artistic intensity.
The project is currently also on view as part of the 5th International Photo Festival Olten (20–24 August 2025). More information: www.ipfo.ch
Emotional Waves Butoh and Contemporary Dance
Texts by Romina Achatz, Sebastian Altermatt, Alice Baldock, Mai Burns, Claude Hofer, Shinichi Takeshige
Designed by Kehrer Design (Laura Pecoroni)
Hardcover, Kehrer Verlag, Switzerland, Hardcover
24 × 32 cm, 432 pages, 217 b/w illustrations, English, German, Japanese
ISBN 978-3-96900-1936