“As a dancer and performer, I crave meaningful, critical, and rigorous work on embodied movement. Ximena constructs workshops that attend down to the subtle crevasses of presence, giving personal feedback and challenging lessons until the body finds itself changed in an extending space of shimmering, activated air.” – Nurya Chana, LEIMAY LUDUS Summer Intensive Participant, 2018
Testimonial – Becca Loevy
“LEIMAY artistic director Ximena said the first class I took from her that each class would be like looking at one section of an elephant, and only after a number of classes could the whole picture begin to unfold. With that in mind, each class I’ve taken at LEIMAY has a similar quality, yet shifts vastly from large to small, slow to fast, together, apart, and many different forms of rigorous. Butoh has become not simply a slow meditation, but also a vibrant, pulsing beast that falls in and out of sleep while being ever aware. Each class is a … Continued
Testimonial – Theresa Magario
“Discovering that CAVE was within walking distance of my apartment stripped away all of my excuses to not come and see what was going on there. What I have met with –and still meet with– in CAVE is an astonishing, refreshing kind of education that I don’t think I would have found at any other performance establishment in New York City.” – Theresa Magario, LUDUS Participant
Testimonial – Stephanie Lanckton
“CAVE has played an influential role on my path, both artistically, and personally. In 2007, I moved to New York City from Portland, Oregon to perform in the 2007 Cave New York Butoh Festival, with butoh master Akira Kasai, which CAVE made possible. From that point forward, CAVE has been a very large part of my life whether through participating in workshops, attending performances, or renting space to create work. When I think of CAVE, I think of fertile ground, a space where creativity, exploration and growth are encouraged. Since 2007, CAVE has provided a place for me (and many … Continued