Mitsu Salmon
Butoh Workshop Series
February 27th – March 20th, Saturdays at 11am PST
Visit Rogers Art Loft to Register
Mitsu Salmon will lead a Butoh, Japanese contemporary dance, workshop. We will work with guided imagery, movement and structured improvisation. The workshop draws from aspects and the trainings of Butoh and interweaves them with visions and textures of the desert from cacti to fission. The class will start with Noguchi exercises, which foster an experience of the body as water with the goal of encountering and releasing the body. Once our bodies and imaginations are opened, we will go into movement prompts. We will roll around in the sand, embody turtles and eat sour plums. Our bodies will become water seeping into cracks of rocks and ice creating ancient land formations. We will pull from imagery connected to animism, geology and physics. Students are welcome to modify exercises based on their comfort and inventiveness. The series works well together but also fine do drop-in. All levels welcome and please wear comfortable clothing.
Week 1
In week one, we will have a quick introduction to Butoh and Noguchi, looking at the history of the dance form and learning warm-ups. From there we will imagine rolling through various landscapes such as desert, ice and rock to embody land formations. We will explore various energies as connected to sensation and movement such as electric, nuclear and fission. We will then be introduced to brush walking (suri ashi), a meditative form of traditional butoh walking.
Week 2
In week two, we will start off again with the Noguchi warm-up. Looking at the writing of Kazuo Ohno, one of the founders of Butoh, we will dive into plant (desert and other) improvisation. We will explore ideas of ancestors and the environment. We will then be guided through layered imagery starting with a grandma eating plums to becoming a turtle.
Week 3
In week three, we will build upon the Noguchi warm up. We will then work with Kazuo Ohno prompt connected to family, the desert landscape and rain. We will then review brush walking. From there we will look at explosive energy and physical and emotional release.
Week 4
In week three, we will build about the Noguchi warm-up. I will then introduce examples and ideas of mythical creatures. From there we will be guided through one’s own imagery of mythical creatures. There creatures will then interact with one another whether through battle, dance or dream.
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