Julie Becton Gillum Butoh Workshop (SBF2023)

Butoh Workshop conducted by Seattle Butoh Festival guest artist Julie Becton Gillum

$90 for one workshop, or Full Festival Pass $ 190 including 2 workshops and 3 nights of performances

Butoh Workshop [Sunday/November 19: 11-4 pm]

Taught by Julie Becton Gillum

Gillum’s intention is to introduce Noguchi Taiso as a warm-up and perfect companion to butoh. Both butoh and Noguchi Taiso developed in post-World War ll Japan during the 1950’s and ’60’s. Noguchi Taiso is slow and gentle, great for all bodies. Noguchi Taiso supports all movement possibilities by building a strong rooted core connected to gravity and responsive to both internal and external forces. The Noguchi water body is prepared to move from its most neutral place, in the most natural way, toward the most abstract, precarious, or specific directions possible. Noguchi Taiso has been adopted by many butoh, dance and theatre practitioners in Japan especially for its ability to empty the body of various learned, superficial, and culturally derived patterns of behavior, making it more transparent, aligning it with the more universal forces that are at play.