Butoh: Body of Water
Saturday November 6th 2021
10am to 4pm
Led by: Marie-Gabrielle Rotie
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Venue:Mortimer Hall
Old Marston
Oxford
OX3 0PH
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Cost 50 pounds
Produced by Cafe ReasonBookings contact: ayala@cafereason.com
This workshop takes its inspiration from the Oxford photography exhibition Water Lily, portraits of Butoh founder Kazuo Ohno, by Keiko Ikeuchi. We will focus on the idea of the body as a water sac and images of flow, fluidity and liquidity. How can we be moved by the image of water, become water, and inhabit a watery world, observing the movement of fish, water plants, ripples, waves and floating.
We will begin with training focusing on waves, circular and impulse based movement, leading into structured and free improvisations guided by images.
No previous experience of Butoh is required, but some general movement experience would be helpful.
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Currently Marie-Gabrielle is working as choreographer for the film Director Robert Eggers (The Northman due for release April 2022. For this, she created movement for award winning actors, Alexander Skarsgard, Anya Taylor Joy and Willem Dafoe. She is a permanent member of staff at Goldsmiths University of London teaching in Theatre and Performance. For the past 30 years, she has worked as a performer, dancer, choreographer, movement director and producer. She gained a conservatoire training in Fine Art (Painting: BA Hons First Class) at Wimbledon School of Art. Through several scholarships, she undertook specialist study in Europe and Japan with Ko Murobushi, Kazuo Ohno, Atsushi Takenouchi, Carlotta Ikeda, Masaki Iwana, Natsu Nakajima and Yumiko Yoshioka and many others. This led to a long and successful career in movement-based work, movement direction for Theatre and Opera, including Royal Shakespeare Company and Royal National Theatre and choreography commissions, touring nationally and internationally. She has has a long career as a soloist, funded and commission by Arts Council, Trinity Laban and The Place Theatre and touring nationally and internationally. She founded Butoh UK in 1994 and has organised many festivals and workshops in the UK.
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