SSII, A Post-Butoh Festival at FX Summit held in the Dance Studio at the Chicago Cultural Center April 18-19. The festival features free workshops, performances, and discussions by Hiroko and Koichi Tamano (Berkeley, CA), Alessandro Pintus (Italy), Michael Sakamoto (Iowa City, IA), Vangeline Theater (NYC), Antibody Corporation (CHI), Ginger Krebs (CHI), Carole McCurdy (CHI), Mitsu Salmon (CHI), Darrell Jones (CHI) among others.
One of the major developments in contemporary dance in the latter half of the 20th century, Butoh combines dance, theater, improvisation and influences of Japanese traditional performing arts to create a unique performing art form that is both controversial and universal in its expression. According to CLAUDIA LA ROCCO in the New York Times, “People tend to think of Butoh in terms of aesthetic markers: white body paint, shaved heads, slow movement gained through intense muscular control, and a way of manipulating the body that is at once beautiful and grotesque, tragic and absurd. Influenced by German Expressionism, it tends to be imagistic rather than narrative. But while these elements often appear, defining Butoh in stylistic terms is dangerous…Butoh is no one thing, but it always has, at its center, a fragile transformative spark. You can’t always describe it, but you know it when you see it, and you know when it’s missing.”
SSII is curated and organized by Sara Zalek, butoh dancer, choreographer and teacher. In April 2014, Zalek curated Spawned Seeds: A Post Butoh Festival, in December Vangeline Theater, and hosts Tadashi Endo at The Old Town School of Folk Music in June. The artists she curates are internationally or locally renowned for their innovative use of butoh in performance. “There is a growing interest in Butoh–the invocation of transformation and the mystery of the live moment. Experiencing Butoh first hand is the best way to understand how and why Butoh is thriving now.”
This year’s Summit will explore the theme “Improvisation and Innovation”. In the spirit of this, the creative leadership of The Second City, the Chicago improve comedy giants will present lessons from their book Yes, And about improving creativity and collaboration. Lake FX Summit + Expo is a FREE event and open to anyone interested in the creative industries. Free registration will be begin in early March. The event is presented by Google, organized by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events and co-produced by CIMMfest and The Recording Academy® Chicago Chapter. Event sponsors include Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Reader and Splash; Virgin Hotel Chicago, and many more.
“Chicago’s creative community is one of this city’s greatest assets,” says DCASE Commissioner Michelle Boone. “We’re always looking for new opportunities to support their efforts and industries and to leverage their expertise.”
For more information about the Summit, visit LakeFXChicago.org.
PRESS RELEASE: PR-POSTBUTOHFESTIVAL2015
Butoh Curious Chi 