Vangeline is the Artistic Director of the Vangeline Theater, a postmodern Butoh dance company firmly rooted in the tradition ofJapanese But while carrying it into the 21st century. She joined the Butoh Ritual Mexicano with Master Diego Pinon in 2002, and is assistant Director to Butoh Master Tetsuro Fukuhara for the project TOKYO SPACE DANCE. www.vangeline.com
Tatsuro Ishii is a dance critic and Professor at Keio University in Tokyo. He writes Cance reviews for the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun, DanceMagazine, and others. He si the author of such books as The Spirit Journey of the Body Expression, Sexuality of Transvestism, Essays on Female Transvestism, The Climactic Point of Body, etc. He has served is the judge of Cairo IE Theatre Festival Egypt (2002), Director of Butoh Festival in Seoul, Korea (2005), and Judge of Toyota Choreography Award (2006).
DENISE FUJIWARA is a choreographer, dancer, actor, dance impresario and teacher with 27 years of professional experience. Fujiwara’s dance has been featured in dance festivals in Seattle, Washington DC, Vancouver, Calgary, Copenhagen, Ecuador and India. Based in Canada, Fujiwara continues to develop original solo and ensemble dance performance
Takuya Ishide was born in Tokyo in 1958. Former student of Ishi Mitsutaka and Tatsumi Hiikata, he performed in Hijikata’s last work, Tohoku Kabuki Keikaku 2 and 4 in 1985 with Min Tanaka. He also danced with Saburo Teshigawara’s Company, KARAS, touring in France. His solo work has toured Korea, Japan, U.S., and Europe.
Taketeru Kudo trained under two of butoh’s most famous dancers, Akiko Moto- fuji (the widow of butoh’s co-creator Tatsumi Hijikata) and the famed butoh group Sankai Juku (with whom he danced for 5 years and toured internationally). Kudo left Sankai Juku to form his own company in 1997 and began to work with free-jazz musicians from Japan’s urban enclave.
Yoshito Ohno is the son of butoh legend Kazuo Ohno and is a renowned dancer and teacher. His career has literally spanned the entire history of butoh. Since 1986, he has directed all of Kazuo Ohno’s performances, as well as creating solo work and teaching.
Atsushi Takenouchi joined Hoppo-Butoh-ha in Hokkaido, Japan in 1980. He has been developing his own “JinenButoh” since 1986, touring and teaching extensively throughout Japan, Eastern and Western Europe, Asia and Australia. His work is concerned with universal expressions of nature, earth, and ancient life.
Mari Osanai is trained in classical ballet, Noguchi Gymnastics, yoga, tai chi, and hip hop. Her unique movements are realized through interweaving these diverse techniques with the philosophy and practice of Noguchi Gymnastics.
Yuko Kaseki is a freelance dancer, choreographer and teacher in Berlin. Kaseki has developed her own rich choreographic vocabulary that is rhythmic and elegant. Yuko Kaseki has lived and worked as a freelance dancer, choreographer and teacher in Berlin since 1995. From 1989 to 2001, she was the primary dancer in Anzu Furukawa’s seminal butoh group Dance Butter Tokio. With her company cokaseki (formed with Marc Ates), Kaseki has developed her own rich choreographic vocabulary that blends butoh with modern dance techniques. heh as performed her solo and ensemble work throughout Europe, Japan and the U.S., and since 2001 has … Continued
Evan Mazunik – pianist, composer, and Soundpainter – is assistant conductor of the New York Soundpainting Orchestra. As a composer, he scored the documentary “The Checker King,” which aired on HBO2. As a performer, he has played with Carla Bley, Steve Swallow, Dick Oatts and Robert Paredes. Mazunik is also keyboardist for the Walter Thompson Orchestra www.evanmazunik.com
AKIRA KASAI has been called the “Niinsky of butoh” because of the stunning energy and concentration of his wild improvisational dances. In the 1960s, he studied with butoh co-founder Kazuo Ohno, and in 1971 started his own butoh company, Tenshi-kan. He moved to Germany in 1979 and trained there for six years in eurhythmy. A pivotal figure in the butoh world, since his return to Japan, he has cultivated his own highly idiosyncratic style of dance, pushing the envelope of butoh by mixing in elements as diverse as German eurhythmy, kabuki and hip-hop. Akira Kasai, born in 1943, originally studied … Continued
Berlin-based group cokaseki is led by Yuko Kaseki (choreographer/dancer) and Marc Ates (choreographer/director)w, ho have performed their work throughout Europe,J apan and the U.S. Their last production Ame to Ame was nominated for Visual design at the 2005 Isadora Duncan Dance Awards in San Francisco- the piece received the Award for ‘Best Ensemble Work’. www.cokaseki.com
Masaki lwana began his dance career in 1975 outside the “butoh genealogy.” Until 1982 he presented 150 experimental performances in which he stood straight, completely naked and perfectly still. Since then, lwana has presented his performances and workshops in 38 countries and has created works which are built on his sharpened aesthetic. Iwana runs an institute for the research of butoh, La Maison du Butoh Blanc, in Normandy, France since 1995. www.iwanabutoh.com
Kan Katsura, a native of Kyoto born in 1948, is a butoh dancer from Japan’s third generation of ankoku butoh (dance of darkness). He performed with the seminal butoh troupe, Byakkoshakn own for its austerity and integrity, rather than the theatrical glamour other troupes became known for. He is a celebrated solo and collaborative performer as well as choreographer and he established his own group KATSURA Kan & Saltimbanques in 1986. Kan has worked with what he calls “minority dancers” all over the world, in remote locations from Africa to South East Asia, for the past 26 years.
Jack Wright, a musical explorer for the past twenty years, plays alto, tenor, and sopranos axes, contralto clarinet, and piano, in every possible direction, but rarely what is recognizable.
Azumaru is a rising star of the butoh dance world. In 1999 he became a member of the acclaimed butoh group Dairakudakan and began training with its legendary director Akaji Maro. He choreographed his first performance S,uccession of the Beast, in 2003. In 2005 he left Dairakudakan to pursue a solo career.
Born in 1941, Daisuke Yoshimoto has collaborated with the greatest artists of butoh, such as Kazuo Ohno, Hisayo lwaki and Yukihiko Sakai. Primarily a solo artist, over the past twenty years he has carved out his own unique and theatrical style. Based in Tokyo, he tours and teaches workshops internationally. Eros and Thanatos premiered in 2004 at the Grotowski Center in Poland and subsequently toured to Spain. Daisuke Yoshimoto’s dance experience also includes collaborations with Kazuo Ohno, Hisayo Iwaki, and Shoji Kojima. Primarily a solo artist, over the past 20 years he has carved out his own unique theatrical style, … Continued
Yumiko Yoshioka was a founding member of the first all-female butoh company Ariadone and has been instrumental in bringing butoh to Europe first with Ariadone in Paris in 1978 and then in Berlin with tatoeba THEATRE DANSE GROTESQUE (1988-1994). She has toured and taught extensively in Japan, Europe, Russia Israel and both North and South America and presently is based at schloss broellin in eastern Germany where she runs the company TEN PEN Chii art labor with visual artist Joachim Manger and musician Zam Johnson. Since 1995 she also has been an artistic director of “eX .. it! Dance Exchange … Continued
Yuko Kawamoto wants to express light in darkness, movement in tranquility and a strong sense of existence.She trained in ballet before her work with Shinonome Butoh.
Zack Fuller is a DIY dancer/choreographer and self-taught musician. From 1985-1986 he was the lead singer for the Washington DC post-punk psychedelic metal band Scythian, sharing stages with groups such as Bad Brains, Black Market Baby, and Pussy Galore. He has performed in many dances under the direction of Min Tanaka, including Poe Project in 1997. He co-headlined the 2019 Boston Butoh Festival with Yuko Kaseki, and his dances have been presented at Leimay/CAVE, Movement Research at Judson Church, Plan B in Tokyo, Mobius in Boston, The Dance Hakushu Festival, The New England Conservatory of Music, and elsewhere.
Ko Murobushi trained and performed with butoh’s creator Tatsumi Hijikata and was a founding member of Dairakudakan, the longest-running butoh company. His influential group Ariadone introduced Europe to butoh in 1978. Based in Japan, he leads the Edge Company and tours internationally throughout Europe and South America. Ko Murobushi trained and performed with butoh’s creator Tatsumi Hijikata and was a founding member of Dairakudakan, the longest-running butoh company. In 1974, he founded the female butoh company Ariadone with Carlotta Ikeda; two years later he founded Sebi, a corresponding all-male butoh group. In 1978, Murobushi introduced butoh to Europe with a … Continued
Shinichi Iova Koga is an actor and dancer, has performed internationally since 1988. Artistic Director of the butoh group inkBoat in San Francisco, his theatrical, multi-media pieces are heavily influenced by his training in film, butoh, Action Theater and Suzuki method. Shinichi MOMO Koga is a silent actor and Butoh dancer(Hijikatalineage) whose productions, both solo and ensemble, have been causing havoc since 1988. As teacher, performer and as the Artistic Director of inkBoat, Koga restructures dance, theater and cinema forms, extracting the vital essence of each to create a sharper reality. Koga’s works have been presented throughout Europe, Japan and … Continued
Yukio Waguri was born in Tokyo in 1952. In 1972, he became the pupil of’ Tatsumi Hijikata. He established his own group Yukio Waguri +Kohzensha, releasing solo and group dance works in Tokyo. Waguri inherited and developed Hiikata’s method of choreographic notation, which evokes body image through language. He isknown for his solid and lithe body, beautiful shape, and rich expressive power. He collaborates closely with musical and theatrical artists and is highly praised as a dance designer and a stage director. He released the CD-ROM, Butoh- Kaden in 1998, which was re- released in 2006. Yukio Waguri, the artistic … Continued
Dawn Akemi Saito is an actress, performance artist, writer and butoh dancer. She has collaborated with major innovative performance groups in the U.S., Europe, Asia and South America. Her multi-disciplinary works include: Blood Cherries, directed by Jonathan Rosenberg and Sabrina Peck at Dance Theater Workshop; A Face of Our Own, in collaboration with composer Myra Melford presented at the Orpheum Theatre in Graz, Austria; Leaves, Water, Sun presented at the Berkshire Theatre Festival; HALO presented at the Asian American Theatre Workshop at MarkTaper and Highways Performance Space in Santa Monica; HA, a solo dance-theatre piece directed by Maria Mileaf and … Continued
SU-EN (Susanna Akerlund) is a dancer and choreographer from Sweden, and artistic director of the SU-EN Butoh Company. Her work is based on the Hijikata/Ashikawa method that was developed in the Tomoe Shizune & Hakutobo group. For five years, SU-EN was a member of the student group GNOME for which Yoko Ashikawa choreographed. SU-EN also holds a nattori license in Jiuta-mai Japanese dance. Since 1994 SU-EN has developed her work in a more contemporary direction: incorporating a variety of influences – from Nordic culture and landscape to conceptual and performance art. SU-EN teaches and performs extensively in Sweden and internationally. … Continued
Photography exhibitions at NYBF 2003
Before receiving an M.A. in Religion, she received a BFA in Dance from the University of the Arts, taught dance at UPenn, and danced with Dappin Butoh, Degenerate Art Ensemble, PAN and low crawlers high flying in Seattle. She danced with Ausdruckstanz in Philly, sang with the Philadelphia Chamber Chorus, and risked her life via bicycle on the streets of Philadelphia.
Tatsuya Nakatani is native of Osaka, Japan, where he studied under Yasuhiro Yoshigaki. After moving to the U.S. in 1995, Tatsuya emerged as one of the key players in the Boston Jazz/improvisational music scene. “Tatsuya Nakatani is a different kind of drummer. He is Gagaku. He is Butoh. He is Contemporary” – Bob Falesch. Tatsuya currently resides in New York City, where he is founding director of the gallery/performing arts space “The Grist Mill”. Tatsuya’s versatility has also lead him to sound engineering, filmscore composition and sessions with country, jazz and rock bands. Originally from Kobe and Osaka, Japan, Tatsuya … Continued
Juan Merchan is an actor, director and theatrical lighting designer. He developed his work as a designer, mainly at La Mama Theater in New York for 18 years. He was co-founder and co-curator of the New York International Butoh Festival. He did lighting design for several companies, such as the Zendora Dance Company, Great Jones Repertory, Pioneers Go East Collective, Sonia Olla Flamenco Company, Brooklyn United Ensemble, the Filipino Kinding Sindaw Company, among others. He also designed the lighting and set design for several productions of the Phoenix Theatre Ensemble in New York. He recently worked in New York on … Continued
Kenta Nagai is a fretless guitar player and composer based in New York City. His technique extends and enhances the expressive range of guitar. From 1999 until 2002 he was a composer in residence at The Cave Gallery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
Is a performer and choreographer; a 2023 Baryshnikov Arts Center Artist-in-Residence, a 2019 New Dance Alliance LiftOff Resident Artist, and a recipient of the 2022 Watermill Center Alumni Mini-Retreat, having performed at the Watermill Gala in 2019. Her newest work, POOL, was commissioned and presented at the Rehearsal for Truth Theater Festival and the Voices International Theater Festival in June 2023. She has also presented works at The Tank, Dixon Place, La MaMa, NY Butoh Festival, 92nd Street Y, LATEA Theater, Next@Graham, Czech Center NY, Triskelion Arts, SOAK Festival, Venuše ve Švehlovce Theater, and Theater Akropolis Prague. As a performer, … Continued
Jeremy Slater is an artist born in Wallingford, England who now lives in Williamsburg Brooklyn. He is a sound artist essentially, but also works with video and sound in performance and installation settings doing interactive and ambient-reactive installations. Otherwise known as ( ) Jeremy Slater uses his laptop computer to create a variety of sound, image, and interactive work. He was one of the 1999 recipients of the Computer Art Fellowship from New York Foundation of the Arts (NYFA) and has exhibited and performed nationally and internationally. www.jeremyslater.net
Shige Moriya (Officer/Founder/Artistic Director) is an installation and video artist, and the founder and Artistic Director of the CAVE, a multimedia performance space, gallery and artist in residence space in Williamsburg Brooklyn, NY. Shige mixes live feed video with pre-edited materials and projects the images into sculpture constructed of layers of thin translucent screens. Shige invites audience and performer to enter the sculpture and discover further abstractions of a stretched two dimensional space. Video-installation artist and curator, Shige Moriya (born in Kyoto, Japan) has been in New York since 1993. He first worked as an exhibition curator in Soho, but … Continued
Ximena Garnica (Officer/Founder/Artistic Director), director and curator of the New York Butoh Festival and Artist in Residence at the CAVE gallery. “Once it touches, it enters. As it travels within it stirs my guts. It breaks off skin, and I soon find myself in pieces scattered in the void. With pieces still cracking, I now celebrate”. Ximena Garnica Gomez, born in Bogota, Colombia, is an actress, dancer and emerging theater director. She is Associate Director of CAVE Co-Director of CAVE ensemble and Artistic Director of LEIMAY Productions. She has trained with several butoh masters including Ko Murobushi, Yukio Waguri, Akira … Continued