Chie Ito and her dance troupe, the Strange Kinoko Dance Company, are typical of those taking part in Dance Triennale Tokyo.

Including Ito, the group comprises six dancers, all of whom push their bodies to the limits in unusually choreographed dances. That they have performed at a variety of unlikely places such as coffee shops, warehouses, and in museum gardens, testifies to the light-hearted whimsicality and great spirit of challenge that defines who they are.

The Dance Triennale Tokyo will be filled with these kinds of performers, from both here and abroad, for 18 days starting from this weekend in Tokyo's trendy Aoyama district. Dancers come from countries that include Brazil, France and Germany.

There will also be screenings of dance-themed films at Shibuya's Theatre Image Forum. Two films are scheduled for this weekend. The first is "The Warriors of Beauty" (2002), directed by Pierre Coulibeuf and based on the choreography of Jan Fabre. The film presents a carnal grotesqueness mixed with a tinge of eroticism, and scenes include bugs crawling out of a woman's mouth and half-naked knights fighting a ruthless battle against an invisible enemy.

The other film is "The Space in Back of You" (2011), directed by Richard Rutkowski. This documentary focuses on the relationship between American choreographer Robert Wilson and popular dancer Suzushi Hanayagi. After collaborating with Hanayagi 15 times, Wilson somehow loses contact with her. He decides to head to Osaka in search of her whereabouts, all the while ruminating over the days he spent with her dancing. Due to its exquisite mixture of Japanese and American cultures, the film has garnered international acclaim.