Resonant Bodies: Butoh & Devising Workshop

RESONANT BODIES: BUTOH & DEVISING WORKSHOP
with Jordan Rosin & Yokko
Monday through Friday, June 8 – 12, 2020 (except Wed. 6/10), 7pm – 10pm
(3 hours each evening; 12 hours total / single-day registration available)

In this intensive workshop with teachers Jordan Rosin and Yokko, participants will utilize principles from a variety of physical theatre traditions (Butoh Dance in particular) to cultivate an awareness, availability, and responsiveness that will allow them to move, act, and dance with resonance and power. Drawing on Pure Movement, Noguchi Gymnastics, Alexander Technique, yoga, martial arts, as well as systems of movement analysis like Viewpoints, Laban, and Bartenieff Fundamentals, teachers will help students to expand their expressive capacity while cultivating the awareness and sensitivity necessary to make healthy and sustainable choices in creation, rehearsal and performance. Through devising assignments and work with both classical & contemporary Butoh-Fu, students will develop the tools and confidence to create their own unique work in a variety of disciplines.

Suitable for performers and artists of all varieties and levels of experience. Beginners welcome.

REGISTRATION:
To register for all four days, use the Eventbrite page.
(Single-day registration can be found on the Hollywood Fringe website after May 1.)

COST:
$100 for all 4 days (12 hours) if you register by March 1, 2020
$125 for all 4 days (12 hours) if you register on or after March 1, 2020
$35 for single-day registration on a space-available basis after May 1
(Single-day registration only available via the Hollywood Fringe Fest website.)

LOOKING FOR SOMETHING MORE ADVANCED? Resonant Bodies: Butoh & Physical Theatre Performance Intensive (30 hrs, daytimes 6/8 - 6/12)

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTORS:

Jordan Rosin (he/him) is a director/choreographer, actor/creator, and researcher/teacher, specializing in Butoh Dance and ensemble-devised physical theatre. Jordan was co-founder & Producing Artistic Director of the The Ume Group in New York City from 2011-2016; is a frequent collaborator with Ren Gyo Soh; and is the creator of DREAM DANCES™. Choreography credits include the internationally acclaimed Citizens of Nowhere, which won “Best Movement Composition” and “Most Relevant Discourse” at the 2019 Festival Internacional de Teatro Universitario at Teatro UNAM; Butoh Medea, which won “Best Physical Theatre” & “Best Choreography” at the 2015 United Solo Festival and has been performed in Turkey, Italy, Scotland, Poland, Germany and at colleges & universities across the US. Other projects include The Ume Group’s Butoh Electra; Facet; Isis Variations; Dream Dances; and Lysistrata Project. Jordan received his BFA in Acting & Directing from Syracuse University and MFA in Ensemble-Based Physical Theatre from Dell’Arte International. Jordan is a 2019 - 2021 Teaching Fellow in the Department of Theatre & Cinema at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA.

Yokko (she/her) is a Butoh Dancer & Choreographer, Actor & Physical Theatre Artist, Movement & Yoga Instructor from Japan. She has performed in, devised and choreographed a variety of local and international shows, having won several awards, including “Best One-Woman Show”, "Best Choreography" “Best Physical Theatre” and "Best Actress" for Butoh Medea (United Solo NYC 2014 & 2015 at Theatre Row, TVolution 2018 Hollywood Fringe Awards). Butoh Medea was selected to perform in Warsaw, Poland. (United Solo Europe 2015, Teatre Syrena), toured Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2015, nominated The Asian Arts Award. It has been touring Europe and Universities in the USA since 2015. (www.butohmedea.com)  Other Performance credits include Lone Wolf Tribe's Body Concert (Labapalooza! 2018 at St. Ann's Warehouse), BALDY (2009-2014: NY Fringe, United Solo NYC, Hollywood Fringe),  Hide Your Fires (Pan Asian Rep's NU Works, United Solo 2017: Theatre Row), Shira Hime Ryu (NY Butoh Institute Festival 2018 at Theatre For The New City), Hijikata Tatsumi’s Last Words (Dance Medium, Noguchi Room, Hijikata Archive, Keio University, 2018), Man Ju Sha Ge:A flower on earth, A flower (Dance Medium, Noguchi Room, Hijikata Archive, Keio University, 2017), FACET (Irondale Center, White Wave, Hollywood Fringe 2013). Her full length choreographed work, SHINKA has been developed and received several awards such as Outstanding Production, Outstanding Choreography, Outstanding Ensemble at Planet Connections 2018, and also received Outstanding Premier production of a play, Outstanding Choreography & Movement at New York Innovative Theatre Awards 2019. Yokko also performed in several local and international films, one of which is the Student Academy Winner film, Cloud-Kumo (2016). Recently she has been appearing several music videos as a Butoh dancer including Cage The Elephant (Grammy Winner - Best Rock Album 2017)- Ready To Let Go (2019), NOIA- AUSENCIAS (2019) directed by Amy Gardner, POW! - Dream Decay (2019). She has been regularly offering workshops (Butoh & Movement for Physical Theatre, Movement for Actors, Ritual Movement: Transformation) in several places include NYC, Atelier Teatro Fisico Performing Arts University in Turin (Italy), Edinburgh (UK), Warsaw (Poland), Izmir (Turkey), St. Lawrence University (NY), SUNY New Paltz (NY), Amherst College (MA), Actors Studio Drama School MFA, Stella Adler Academy of Acting, The Actors Studio, and at some events such as UNFIX NYC and Ecstatic Dance. She currently serves as an adjunct Movement Faculty for the BFA Acting Studio program by the New Group at Long Island University in Brooklyn Fall 2019-Spring 2020.  She is the artistic director of an NYC based Butoh & Theatre group, Ren Gyo Soh. (www.rengyosoh.com) A recipient of 2019 Brooklyn Arts Fund for her Butoh Dance Theatre project, En. (Triskelion Arts, Brooklyn Sep. 2019). B.A in Theatre (UAlbany), MFA in Acting (The Actors Studio)  www.yokko-online.com 

FAQs

How can I contact the organizer with any questions?

E-mail jordan@jordanrosin.com.

What is Butoh?

Ankoku Butoh (暗黒舞踏 – “dance of utter darkness”) is a style of dance and philosophy of creating total theatre which originated in Japan in the mid twentieth century. It is often marked by grotesque imagery and taboo themes. Now a largely international movement, an emergent aim of the work for many twenty-first century practitioners is the revelation of tacit knowledge hidden in the body and a sort of self-realization brought about by “piercing the mask” of our socialized everyday behavior. Butoh training can therefore promote great physical endurance and expressiveness, spiritual consciousness, and creativity.

What is Devising?

Devising is a broad umbrella term which encompasses a variety of methods for making original theatre, dance, or performative works either solo or in collaboration with others. While devising can include the participation of playwrights, directors, choreographers, and other types of leadership, people often use the word devising to distinguish their creative process from the conventionally playwright-led models of the twentieth century. A common misconception about devised work is that it is necessarily experimental or avant-garde. In reality, devised work can take a whole host of forms, ranging from experimental to realistic, and refers to the process of creation rather than product itself. Devising practice, especially in ensemble, can promote critical thinking, problem solving, social skills, listening, and creativity.