Totnes to host Japanese Butoh dance workshops exploring movement and nature
Totnes will host a programme of Butoh dance sessions at Birdwood House this June and July, with weekly classes and weekend workshops designed to introduce participants to the slow, interpretive movement art form
A series of Japanese Butoh dance workshops and classes are set to take place in Totnes this June and July, led by Devon-based dancer and artist Kait Dron.
The sessions, which will be held at Birdwood House on Totnes High Street, are open to adults of all ages and abilities and will run across weekly classes and weekend workshops.
Butoh is a form of avant-garde dance that originated in post-war Japan in the 1950s.
It was developed by artists including Tatsumi Hijikata and Kazuo Ohno and is often described as a slow, expressive movement practice exploring themes such as nature, transformation and imagination.
Kait Dron said the practice encourages participants to explore movement and creativity in different ways.
She said: “Butoh is an immersive practice; it asks you to get involved and participate in the life of things through spirit and form.
“Whilst it has original roots in Noh theatre and Japanese philosophy, it is not bound to these.”
She added: “Becoming a Butoh dancer is about a journey of flowering, your unique flower, no one else’s.”
The workshops will take place both indoors and in outdoor settings, with organisers saying they are designed to be accessible to beginners as well as those with dance experience.
Weekly sessions will run on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 24 June to 23 July, with a five-week cycle of classes at Birdwood House.
Weekend workshops are also scheduled, including a session led with storyteller Ashley Ramsden from 26 to 28 June.
Butoh classes have been attended by participants ranging in age from their twenties to mid-seventies, according to organisers.
The practice is based on improvised and interpretive movement, with sessions often incorporating themes drawn from nature, storytelling and visual arts.
To find out more and to book a place on a Butoh session, visit www.being.land/schedule or contact [email protected].