Striking roster of butoh artists will lead workshops in New York during New York Butoh Kan Training Initiative + Teaching Residency

[CAVE]

NEW YORK, June 14, 2010 -- Dance masters Mari Osanai, Yukio Waguri, Imre Thormann, Yukio Suzuki and local artist Ximena Garnica will offer beginner and advanced butoh training and open classes in New York from 13 August to 27 November 2010 as part of the New York Butoh Kan Training Initiative + Teaching Residency (NYBK). Presented as part of LUDUS (school + play), the educational program of CAVE and its resident company LEIMAY, the NYBK will also feature interviews, lectures and performances by these master dancers.

CAVE, led by Artistic Directors Ximena Garnica and Shige Moriya, is one of the longest-running experimental art spaces in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Known "on the street" for offering the best butoh dance training in New York, the yearly New York Butoh Kan provides a unique platform for the development of local dancers and performers through its first-hand contact with significant artists in the field.

Butoh dance has expanded from its small beginnings in post-war Japan into an international movement, with practitioners hailing from Asia, Europe, South America and here in the United States. A form of dance which rejects traditional dance pedagogy, its origins lie in the quest for transformation of the body into materials, animals and even the embodiment of a single emotion or expression.

In the workshops, students will learn the fundamentals of butoh dance , in an attempt to transform the body into a vehicle of constant metamorphosis. Some of the exercises includes breathing techniques, somatic explorations and strengthening of imagination. Each instructor brings his or her own experience and multidisciplinary approach to the craft.

Mari Osanai trained in Classical Ballet, Noguchi Gymnastics, Yoga, Tai Chi and Hip Hop. Her unique movements are realized through interweaving these diverse techniques. The philosophy and practice of Noguchi Gymnastics has had a strong influence on her creations. Her introductory session runs 13 to 15 August and her intensive session is scheduled from 16 to 26 August.

Yukio Waguri was the main male dancer at Asbestos-kan from 1972 to 1978 (base of the original founder of butoh, Tatsumi Hijikata) and is currently the Artistic Director of the Kohzensha Butoh Company. When choreographing and teaching, his focus is on transforming oneself to become imagery rather than depicting this through movement. He will lead an introductory session from 10 to 12 September, followed by an intensive session from 16 to 26 September.

Imre Thormann's performance and pedagocial practice is informed by his training in the F. M. Alexander technique, the Noguchi Taizo method and Kazuo Ohno’s teachings. Since 1993, he has put on several Butoh solo performances in Europe as well as in Japan, and initiated the Japan Now Festival in Bern (Switzerland) and Gdansk (Poland) together with Shigeo Makabe. His introductory session takes place 1 to 3 October, followed by an intensive session from 7 to 17 October.

One of Japan’s most exciting choreographers and dancers, Yukio Suzuki studied butoh at the “Karada no Gakko” of the Asbestos-kan and from Ko Murobushi. While leading his own company Kingyo, Suzuki also dances for Ko Murobushi’s company Ko & Edge Co. and has danced for Tuyoshi Shirai, Goro Namerikawa (the starting member of Sankaijuku), and in the performance group SAL-VANILLA. Suzuki's introductory session runs from 22 to 24 October and his intensive session is scheduled for 28 October to 7 November.

Ximena Garnica will lead LEIMAY Open Classes every Saturday during the months of August, October and November. Garnica is the Artistic Director of LEIMAY, an interdisciplinary project company and laboratory of performance. She has been practicing and studying theatre since childhood and has been exploring butoh dance for the past ten years. Her work is constantly questioning the body as a medium and dance, theater, and/or installation as a genre. This class is an opportunity to experience the company’s ongoing training and to be considered for LEIMAY performance and investigation projects.

Discounts are available to those who register early. For more information about CAVE and NYBK workshops and performances, please visit www.cavearts.org. You can also email CAVE at [e-mail] or call 347.838.4677.