Nov. 20th to 24th, 2023 – 9:30 am to 1:30 pm (Mon.-Fri.)
Full week rate : $ 115
Drop-in class rate : $30 – Only on Monday and/or Tuesday (available one month prior)
Language of instruction : English
Questions can also be asked in : English
Open to artists of all disciplines
The mask could be mandatory for some activities as an accessibility measure for our teachers or participants. For more information, click here.
CONTENT
Timeless Form (Intermediate level workshop)
In Butoh we are interested in form, not as shape, but rather as ephemeral manifestations of the universe that push and pull time. In this workshop we will work to create dance that is the embodiment of elements and conditions, steeped with resonance and humanity.
ACCESSIBILITY
Denise will lead the class in English. (Her French is rudimentary.) Throughout the class she will explain concepts, give instructions for the exercises and cues during the process. There will be relatively little demonstration – mainly in the warm up. Most of the work involves directed improvisation. Participants are encouraged to interpret the instructions and verbal cues in various ways to encourage embodied awareness, curiosity, creativity and presence.
Some of the exercises are done in small groups, to give each other more space to move in. These are occasional opportunities to watch each other in process to understand aspects of the exercises.
Non-participating observers will not be admitted.
BIOGRAPHY
Denise Fujiwara’s work as a dance artist has developed over 40 years of intensive practice, performance and study. Her most influential mentors include Japanese Butoh masters Natsu Nakajima and the late Yukio Waguri, and master dance pedagogue Elizabeth Langley. She has developed a practice of Butoh that artfully assists participants to experience deeply embodied movement through the cultivation of curiosity, the imagination, awareness and presence. Her solo repertoire has travelled to 4 continents. She has led workshops and master classes across Canada and the U.S.A., in Denmark, Poland, Germany, the U.K., Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador and India. She is a recipient of the Toronto Arts Foundation’s Muriel Sherrin Award for international achievement in dance. Noppera-bo, created with filmmaker William Yong, won a 2020 One-Reeler Short Film Competition Award of Excellence in Los Angeles.
The workshop helped me listen more to my body, my intentions.
– Jad Orphée Chami