Helen Smith

Forum/workshop facilitator -

cultural transcriber - performer

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Helen Smith is a physical theatre performer, teacher and director whose main influences have been Japanese-influenced artforms, including Butoh and Suzuki actor training.

Helen was first introduced to the world of Physical Theatre, through Brisbane-based company, Zen Zen Zo with whom she trained, performed nationally and internationally from 1993 to 2010. Helen’s first encounter with Butoh was in Kyoto in the 90s through Zen Zen Zo’s founder member, Lynne Bradley. Inspired by the principles of this company to always go back to the source, Helen pursued her passion for eight years, studying under several Tokyo-based, masters from the lineage of both Hijikata and Kazuo Ohno, the two recognised creators of Butoh. Helen relocated from Brisbane to Melbourne in 2010 to pursue a Masters in Theatre Research at Monash University in which her thesis focused on the transformative power of Butoh.

In her own practice, Helen is most at home when she is exploring innovative combinations of Butoh, such as performance projects involving Butoh and Shakespeare, Butoh and Kathakali, and site-specific Butoh in outdoor performances with an environmental focus. Helen’s recent encounter with Syndey-based composer, Fiona Hill, is her latest exciting collaboration exploring the interface between dance and soundscapes with live musicians.