This weekend, a world renowned dance company will create art out of chaos as the University Musical Society presents Sankai Juku’s “Hibiki: Resonance From Far Away.”

Since its beginning in Japan in 1975, the butoh dance company Sankai Juku has performed in 43 countries and captivated audiences with its skillful interpretation of an unconventional dance style under the direction of founder and artistic director Ushio Amagatsu.

Butoh dance emerged in the 1960s as an avant-garde response to the lingering effects of the atomic explosions in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It is often marked by perverseness, absurdity and outlandish elements, both in the slow and highly controlled movement of the dancers as well as the visual elements of their shaved heads and head-to-toe white body makeup.

Erik Santos, associate professor of music in the School of Music, Theatre & Dance, first discovered his love of butoh in 2000 when he saw a performance by another dance company.

“It just knocked me out,” he said. “It completely blew me away. It’s often on the shocking side and contains really strong, realistic personal statements.”

As he became more familiar with the world of butoh, Santos began to recognize what it was that appealed to him.

“I love the fact that it almost speaks for itself,” Santos said. “When I would see something like ballet, for example, there’s a whole bunch of language in there that I just didn’t quite understand. There’s a lot in there that one needs to know before appreciating what’s great about it. Butoh didn’t seem to have that; it seemed to hit me directly whether I knew anything about the tradition or establishment of it.”

The crawling pace and repetitive nature of the choreography presents a dreamlike quality when set against what is typically a sparse background. The music ranges from loud and powerful to almost imperceptible, adding to the dance form’s unearthly quality. For example, in “Hibiki,” each scene is set against what could be considered simple elements, like water and sand.

Although it may seem a bit unrelatable, the work of Sankai Juku has gained significant appreciation from many audiences. “Hibiki” first debuted in Paris in 1998 and was the recipient of London’s prestigious Lawrence Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production in 2002.

The company’s name translates to “studio by the mountain and the sea” and is meant to convey the serene quality that is characteristic of all Amagatsu’s works.

For those less acquainted with butoh, the University’s Center for Japanese studies has arranged an educational event led by Santos and professor of Asian languages and cultures Mark Nornes called “Butoh and its Cinematic Contemporaries” on Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. in the Helmut Stern Auditorium.

The professors will discuss the connections between the films “Dance of Darkness” and “Sacrifice,” butoh and the cultural conditions under which the films and dance were created, so as to prepare an audience to gain as much appreciation from the Sankai Juku performance as possible.

“It’s just kind of an interesting way to be able to talk about butoh in general and Sankai Juku in particular,” Santos said.