Evocation of Butoh 2017
‘What is Butoh in Australia?’
March 2017 at LaMama Courthoutse, Melbourne Australia
Stages of Momentum (2001-2016)
Between 2001 and 2009, Yumi Umiumare and Tony Yap developed the Beyond Butoh Series as an experimental laboratory to investigate what is understood to be the intrinsic meaning of Butoh.
In 2015 Yumi attended the eX...it an International Butoh Exchange Festival in Germany. This inspired her to create a mini festival when she returned to Australia. In the same year, Takashi Takiguchi invited two Butoh masters from Tokyo - Seisaku and Yuri Nagaoka to lead master classes and two nights of performance. The following year, 2016, Butoh master Katsura Kan from Kyoto was invited by Helen Smith to present public workshops and a performance presentation involving local arts communities and performers.
The purpose of both events was to increase interest and engage local communities in an exploration of Butoh. These initiatives built momentum and paved the way for the establishment of a Butoh festival in Melbourne, Australia. This festival celebrates this fascinating and hitherto unexplored dance form.
(Photo: Mifumi Obata)
Evocation of Butoh
In 2017, the first Butoh Festival Evocation of Butoh, examined the simple yet profound question, “what ‘darkness' is in our post-modern, materialistic, politically-driven society, particularly in a multicultural society, such as Melbourne”. The darkness can be interpreted as 'abandoned', 'invisible', 'institutionalised' or a 'shadowed' existence or it can refer metaphorically to our spiritual sphere.
In the first year of the festival, we explored particularly the aspect of darkness as well as light and colour within the darkness, from the context of our individual, cultural and contemporary perspective.
A sold-out performance season was held over four nights at La Mama Courthouse, Melbourne, Australia as part of Asia TOPA. The show included three different performances by Helen Smith, Yumi Umiumare and Tony Yap with Brendon O’Connor and Jonathan Rainin as well as guest Butoh Master from Germany, Yumiko Yoshioka.
Production Team
Artistic Director/ Yumi Umiumare
Artistic Advisor / Tony Yap
Co-Producers/ Yumi Umiumare & Takashi Takiguchi
Technical Manager &Forum Facilitator / Alana Hoggart
Lighting Design/ Bronwyn Pringle
Technical Operator / Jason Crip
Publication Design / Tony Yap
Video Documentation / Takeshi Kondo
Photography documentation / Mifumi Obata
Technical support / Meika Clark, Shannon Quinn and Darius Kedros
Support
Creative Victoria
City of Yarra
LaMama
ASIA TOPA
Multicultural Arts of Victoria
Financial Support for Documentation/Satoh House