The World Can’t Take Its Eyes Off Avantgardey
By Kelli Luu | 19 Jan, 2026

Japanese choreographer Akane brought twenty women together to create Avantgardey, a Butoh-inspired dance group bringing one of the most unforgettable acts to America.

This is Avantgardey, a surreal dance group that took over our TVs and became an internet sensation with pure performance art. 

Avantgardey was formed in 2022 by Japanese producer and choreographer Akane, who is popular in Japan for the creativity within her viral dance work. The aesthetic of this dance group is nothing like the world has seen before. Avantgardey stays mysterious with identical bob-cut wigs and school-uniform outfits that highlight the group’s small movements and facial expressions. 

Twenty women make up Avantgardey, each chosen from Akane’s wide network of dancers. Not only is this group demonstrating unbelievable choreography skills, but also a true artistic performance. The perfect synchronization, exaggerated looks, and unexpected humour makes their dances mesmerizing, but also uncanny. 

Avantgardey became known internationally after performing with world-renowned DJ, Steve Aoki in January 2023 and that same year, they exploded onto U.S. television screens with an immaculate appearance on season 18 of America’s Got Talent. Their audition routine involved a synchronized dance to Hiromi Iwasaki’s “Cinderella Honeymoon”, leading all four judges to vote “Yes” which sent them to the next round. 

The group eventually made it to the semi-finals where they were eliminated, but brought back by judge, Howie Mandel, as the season’s wild card. Avantgardey finished their America’s Got Talent run in the bottom six of the Top 11 performances, but their segments generated some of the show’s highest engagement. 

As Avantgardey continued to win over the judges and the crowd throughout the season, videos of their performances were earning millions of views online, increasing their global momentum. The group appeared in many cultural showcases, including the Korea-Japan festival, where their impact goes much deeper. Avantgardey reimagines elements of Butoh, a Japanese dance style that emerged in the 1950s, characterized by slow, hyper-controlled movements, white body paint, and distorted facial expressions. 

The shine that Avantgardey has been given signals a new shift in global performances, one where Asian artistry can be celebrated. From Japan to one of America’s biggest stages, Avantgardey has shown that audiences love entertainment that is uncanny but hard to look away from.