In 1990, the version/performance of Pygmalion after George Bernard Shaw from the Nieuw West group, of which Boutkan was a member, was awarded the VSCD prize for mime.
He initially saw himself as a dancer, but managed to focus on a combination of theater and dance, mime.
Colleague Dic van Duin recalled that Boutkan performed very impressively and filled the room, while his role was a silent one.
He was not buried or cremated; his body went to science.
During his training he met Marien Jongewaard and Rob de Graaf. They named their troop Nieuw West after the neighborhood in which they grew up.