September 21st - November 9th
Wednesday Nights: 7 - 9 PM
at The Waterline Studio: 55 NE Farragut St. #4 (door #4 next to North Portland Yoga)
Cost:
The cost of the workshop is $100 for the full series, and $15 for drop-in. Limited Work-Trade scholarships are available for those in need.
Prepay option is available here: PREPAY LINK or simply show up and pay per class!
Water In The Desert is excited to announce a workshop series exploring the world of Butoh, from its roots to its contemporary permutations. For two hours a week, we will gather and express from a place of depth and authenticity, exploring the spectrum of human and universal experience. Mizu Desierto, Stephanie Lanckton, Meghann Rose and Douglas Allen will each facilitate two classes, bringing their perspective to the art of Butoh. We will explore technique, improvisation, ritual, and collaboration.
The Teachers:
Mizu Desierto (September 21st and 28th) is the Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Portland’s Water in the Desert and The Headwaters Theatre. She is a performer, choreographer and educator whose work explores themes of identity, truth, ecology and transformation.
Class Description:
Through the collective experience of embodied expression, we rediscover our animal body, our water body, our wild body, our subtle body. Drawing from the work of Japanese Butoh, Body-Ritual-Movement (BRM), Somatic Practice/Noguchi Taiso, Contemplative Movement, Improvisation, and Physical Theatre, Mizu Desierto leads a workshop that is a raw, playful and focused movement experience. www.witd.org
Stephanie Lanckton (October 5th and 12th) is a Portland based solo & collaborative dance artist, choreographer, student, and teacher. Her focus of teaching, study and performance is butoh, Noguchi taiso, outdoor movement & nature-cycle exploration. Her work researches the power of imagination, memory, the senses, internal and external states, and dimensions of time and space in relation to the body, sound and nature.
Class Description:
Through a series of Noguchi Taiso exercises (i.e. standing, falling, hanging, jumping, walking, skipping, shaking, rolling) developed by Michizo Noguchi (1914-1998), we will give our weight to the nature of gravity and receive from the earth embodied spirals, waves, figure eights and circles. Stephanie will guide the class to cultivate a fluid, soft, relaxed body & mind and increased internal/external sensitivity & receptivity, allowing for infinite possibilities in our dance.
Meghann Rose (October 19th and 26th) has been in the trees, on the streets, and in the subtle realms working on behalf of the planetary body since she was old enough to speak. She has been practicing Butoh and BRM for 10 years.
Class Description:
Meghann cultivates a ritual space, weaving a collective somatic spell that allows our bodies to find freedom and depth.
Douglas Allen (November 2nd and 9th) is a Portlander by way of New York City. He has performed in venues across New York City and Portland as a mime, a modern dancer, and a Butoh performer. Feral Press published his poetry collection "Weathervanes" in 2009. He has taught writing, breath, and butoh workshops in order to mine our inner gold at The LBGT Center in NYC, Easton Mountain, as well as at The Headwaters Theatre.
Class Description:
Through an imaginative guided meditation that explores and awakens the entire inner and outer body, Douglas Allen leads a workshop that is designed to liberate and sustain that exhilarating freedom.
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Disclaimer/Inclusivity Statement:
People of all ages, experience levels and identities are encouraged to participate. To be sure, due to the vulnerable / improvisational / ritualistic nature of this work, people with special mental and physical needs are encouraged to check in with the teachers before class so that we can do our best to create a positive environment to express and be seen.
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Contact Mizu Desierto at mizu@witd.org with any questions.
FACEBOOK LINK for updated information.
