ButohOUT!2019@Abbotsford Convent 12March- 12May 2019
ButouOUT!2019 @Abbotsford Convent
Forbidden Laughter
禁じられた笑い
Abbotsford Convent
12 March - 12 May 2019
LINK
“The action of laughing is like the breaking of the stiff mask of ego.
When we laugh, the authentic spirit jumps out from deep inside of us”
Keiichi Ueno
ButohOUT! is an annual festival celebrating creative communities and the profound performance art of Butoh. Originally called Dance of Darkness, Butoh was conceived in Japan in the late 1950s during the social turmoil after the Second World War. It goes beyond the confines of specific culture, gender, status and religion, aspiring to universal expression that touches the true nature of humanity.
ButohOUT! 2019 will challenge the commonly held conception of Butoh as dark and grotesque, and will ask: “Can the audience laugh at Butoh? Can we portray comedy in Butoh?” In the Japanese language the word for laughter warau 笑う comes from the verb wareru 割れる- to break, crack or split.
Exploring the theme, ‘Forbidden Laughter’, ButohOUT! 2019 will focus on surreal comedy. The Butoh will draw upon cabaret, bouffon, burlesque, physical theatre and visual art installation.
Open to experienced dancers, newcomers, children and families, the ButohOUT! program presents an exciting opportunity for participants and audiences to learn from expert practitioners and experience this unique performance arts form. Workshop participants have the opportunity to receive mentoring and present original solo and group works at the Convent during the public performance season in May.
Artistic director Yumi Umiumare
Producer Takashi Takiguchi
Dramaturg Maude Davey
Visual artist Pimpisa Tinpalit
Funded by Creative Victoria
Presented in partnership with Abbotsford Convent Foundation
Photography Vikk Shayen
WORKSHOPS
12 March - 16 April 2019
"Breaking the Dark Mask"
29 March - 31 March 2019
5 April - 7 April 2019
Convent Kids presents: Peek-A-Butoh
23 March 2019
2 - 12 May
Industrial School,
Abbotsford Convent
