• By: Butohcontact

Posted on January 7, 2012

We are very excited for Vangeline (NYC) to open for KATSURA Kan’s Oracle & Enigma with her solo “Spectral,” on Feb 24th and 25th 2012. These two performances together will premiere diverse interpretations of the avant-guard body expression of “Butoh.”

The Butoh work has been described as the “Dance of Darkness,” or the “Dance of the Dark Soul.” The definition of Butoh is controversial and by its very nature defies definition. Vangeline approaches this work with a desire to transform. Butoh for her is a rebellious undertaking to challenge and shed layers of conditioning and social masks to offer rigorous honesty to the community through performance. She is uncompromising as she invokes a desire to expose and confront our private wars, wounded selves, and through this process bring what is hidden into the light.

Vangeline is a Butoh artist  from NYC, soon to be seen in the feature film ” the Stare” with Winona Ryder and James Franco. She is also Artistic Director of the Vangeline Theater, a New York Dance company founded in December 2002. The Vangeline Theater has consistently pursued the advancement of Butoh as a 21st century art form capable of transforming the meaning and the relationship between dance and community. Vangeline is a long time student of Diego Piñón and Butoh masters, Yoshito Ohno, Akira Kasai, Yumiko Yushioka, Ko Murobushi, Daisuke Yoshimoto, Tetsuro Fukuhara, and Butoh master Katsura Kan.

“ Vangeline moves with the clockwork deliberation of a practiced Japanese Butoh artist”

– F. Kathleen Foley, Los Angeles Times, 9/15/ 2011

 

Butoh Master KATSURA Kan will premiere his work "Oracle & Enigma," Feb 24th and 25th 2012. 
KATSURA is a native of Kyoto from among the ranks of Japan's senior generation of Butoh. He worked with 
Tatsumi-Hikikata / Butoh Founder (1929-1986) at his last moment in 1985. KATSURA performed with  
the seminal Butoh troupe, “Byakkosha” 1979-1981 and then researched in Indonesia and Thailand for 
20 years. KATSURA Kan describes Butoh to be  "based on the body as a costume and landscape which 
has the potential to recover, activate and revitalize humanity and the community." KASURA Kan asks 
"what is natural," what is neutral,"  "what is the curious body."  


Oracle and Enigma is a Butoh dance theatre work directed by Master KATSURA Kan. 
The work explores our human relation to earthly and cosmic elements through the movement of the
"curious body." It is a journey towards the celestial horizon to see ourselves as an Oracle. 
The work explores knowing and not knowing, walking and listening, prison, paradise and dreams.
Choreographed and Directed by: KATSURA Kan. Dancers: Christina Braun, Heyward Bracey, Michael Curran,
Shoshana Green, KATSURA Kan, Azumi Oe, Sarwang Parikh, Martha Ratlif, Sharoni Stern Siegel, Bob Webb.

Costumes by Anastazia Lousie from Bad Unkl Sista & Live Visuals by Kio Griffith.


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2 Comments

  1. Eric Gillet January 10, 2012 at 4:41 pm - Reply

    Hello,

    I would like to buy a ticket for Katsura’s performence on Febuary 24. Can you direct me to the best way to buy the ticket?

    Mant thanks

    Eric

  2. Butohcontact January 11, 2012 at 12:34 am - Reply

    Hi there. You can purchase tickets from the home page of CounterPULSE’s website. Click on Buy Tickets for Show and Oracle and Enigma is the last event.
    Here is a quick link http://oracleandenigma-eorg.eventbrite.com/

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