Butoh Workshop Wales (BWW) 4:Body/ Dance/ Land: Becoming Transformations

SEPTEMBER 1ST TO SEPTEMBER 8TH 2018

led by

Marie-Gabrielle Rotie and Nick Parkin

We have a NEW location and INDOOR studio!

The Location

We have moved this year from North Pembrokeshire, to exploring the warmer climes of the South Pembrokeshire National Parks Coastline between Dale, Marloes and St Martins Haven. Our new location allows access to different terrain, rich in geological and archaeological history as well as all day access to a large indoor studio-hall in the centre of Dale Village to enable us to continue working in all weathers. The area we are working in comprises coastline around the lighthouses on St Annes Head, the stunning black rock formations on Marloes beach, and the moderately challenging circular coast path walks. The whole coastline is rich in bird, marine and seal life and is are area of outstanding natural beauty.

near Haverfordwest — Pembrokeshire

1 of 1

00 11 22 3 miles3 miles

Workshop Approach

This workshop allows time to cultivate a fluid interface, and a widening field of perception, connecting our transformational body with the environment.

Drawing upon over 30 years experience of Butoh, combined with expertise in voice, bodywork and soft martial arts, we search for the body of becoming.

Daily Training incorporates techniques from Eastern and Western practices such as mindful and silent walking, bodywork drawing upon energy work such as chi-kung, stretching and basic somatic work, and Butoh. We also engage in drawing sound and visual/images scores for movement practice.

What does it mean to ‘become something other?” How can we understand the body as not a fixed or separate entity, and instead surrender, listen, melt, breathe and move with the different pulses, energy and memories of plant,

stone, sky, sea, rock, seaweed, lichen, limpets, earth?

Eroded surfaces, tides washing away imprints, become metaphors for our body as a palimpsest, exploring the state of constant change within and outside the body, and affirming the cycles of existence that connect is, in both the vastness of creation and in the microscopic world of plants and insects. Place and Time are seen as interconnected entities- as we slow down we enter into geological time, the time of nature with the endless cycles of growth and decay.

Participants are encouraged to record their daily experiences in notebooks, sketchbooks, photographs and film and we culminate in the final days in the development of solo or group presentations. We have arranged special talks with local geologists and marine experts for some evenings.

In terms of daily structure, we work for around eight hour and beach access is planned around the tides.

Each day will divide time between working indoors on body and Butoh training and techniques, and then working outside. Each day we will integrate walking into our routine, and this is integral to our daily practice. Some walks can be in total, including return, 6 or 7 miles. For those who may find this too challenging, you are able to drive to all locations and meet us there.

The workshops each year attract a range of ages from 20 to over 60, and diverse backgrounds including therapists, performers, students, artists, and anyone with an interest in movement.

On the first day of arrival on September 1st we meet in the early evening for 2 hours for an introduction.

Travel and Accommodation TravelArrive September 1st (pm) and depart September 8th (am)

If you are traveling by train the nearest stations are either Haverfordwest or Milford Haven. We recommend arriving into Haverfordwest. We are able to pick you up, at agreed times, by car or taxi to take you to your accommodation. The average book in advance return train fare from London is around £80.

If you are traveling by Car, then roads are very accessible and there is very cheap or free parking in the village. In previous years those driving from London or environs have offered car share services.

Accommodation

A list of accommodation ranging from camping, caravan, B & B and self-catering cottages is available by email request. Participants are responsible for securing their own accommodation,. Participants might want to share accommodation to significantly reduce their costs and holiday cottages are quite reasonable at this time of year. We can put you in touch with other participants by email. There is a bunkhouse offering very cheap, self-catering and shared accommodation. Early booking is recommended.

Fee for Workshop Only is £300

Deposit of £100 required to secure your booking. Please email for full information and details: Paypal, internet bank transfer and international bank transfers accepted. We are unable to accept credit card payment or take payments over the phone.

Payment Terms and Conditions:

Payments can be refunded in full up to 23rd July. Payments cancelled after this time are only 50% refundable and non-transferable up to 6th August. Cancellations made after 6th August are non-refundable but we would offer discounts on future classes or workshops. If you can get another paying person to replace you, then the payment is refunded.

Any refunds will deduct paypal fees or international bank fees if applicable.

Bookings made after 6th August will need to be settled in full and are non-refundable. If you have elected to book into our rented accommodation in the village this element would be non-refundable unless we can secure someone to cover your place.

Helping you Estimate your total costs:

Total costs for participation taking into account workshop fee (300) train (80 pounds approx) Accommodation in self-catering cottage sharing with 3 people would be around (150 pounds) and food (50 to 80 pounds depending on how often you eat out!) would be 600 pounds for the week. However, if you go budget style and camp, caravan or do a bunkhouse and travel by car or car share the cost can greatly reduce to around 500 pounds or even less. Overall this represents very good value for money and an investment in a very enriching and memorable experience, in a

beautiful location which you will never forget.

Accommodation links – these are not exhaustive and there are loads of websites with something to suit all budgets from camping, to shared bunkhouses, B and B to self-catering. Villages of Dale, Marloes, Mullock Bridge are all near.

http://www.dalevillage.co.uk/accommodation/

Camping/Caravan

https://www.pointfarmdale.co.uk

https://www.marloes.org.uk/page9.html

Booking in Marloes is fine if you have a car as it's a short 10 minute drive down to Dale.

http://www.visitpembrokeshire.com/holiday-accommodation/self-catering-cottages/

http://www.upperneeston.co.uk

http://www.visitpembrokeshire.com/holiday-accommodation/upper-neeston-lodges/

This has a bunkhouse if people want to cut costs and share. Need a car share to get to Dale – we can assist in this. From 17.50 a night.

Please email us for assistance with finding accommodation or to check a location before booking. If you need the document sent with live links please request.

The village hall has facilities for making drinks and preparing your lunch or snacks. There is a local pub serving very good fresh fish, and a cafe serving basic snacks.

About Butoh

Butoh arose Post-Hiroshima and Post-American Occupation of Japan in the late 1950’s and arose from the social and political climate reflected in artistic practices both in Japan and in Europe. Butoh founders drew from many sources including German Expressionism, Antonin Artaud, Surrealism, Japanese traditional theatre and literature etc.

The main founders are Tatsumi Hijikata and Kazuo Ohno. What began as a deliberate rejection of conventional western dance technique and the constraints of traditional Japanese Theatre developed into a strong underground, avante –garde movement revolving around the charismatic centre of Hijikata.

Several generations of Japanese Butoh dancers have now emerged and starting with the experiments of Min Tanaka with Mai Juku, western dancers entered the experimental field of Butoh in the late 1970’s. Butoh gained more international momentum with its emergence in Europe through the appearances of such artists as Natsu Nakajima, Kazuo Ohno, Ko Murobushi, Carlotta Ikeda/Ariadone, and of course Sankai Juku. The result, since the 1980’s, has been a sustained international growth and development of Butoh into extremely diverse forms of expression.

Common forms of enquiry within Butoh revolve around asking the question ‘ what is dance?’ allied with attempts to erase the ‘self’ and shed the ‘daily body’ to return to a ‘body that has not been robbed’. Common images and themes explored through mainly improvisation processes, embrace cycles of life, birth, death, nature imagery, physical transformation, playing with time and slow motion, sensitising the material body and working from the inside to the outside, from inner impulse to outer ‘form’ to discover the immaterial. Butoh encourages each individual to find their own way of moving and we as workshop leaders are not interested in imposing a ‘style’ but in facilitating a process of discovery and creativity.

Biographies

Marie-Gabrielle Rotie is an international artist working within live performance. Her distinct aesthetic is informed by training as a Fine Art Painter (Wimbledon School of Art) and by an independent dance training traversing East and West aesthetics and artistic disciplines.

Since 1994 she has toured and created over 35 productions: UK touring venues include Trinity Laban who have staged/commissioned eight stage productions since 2006, The Place Theatre for which she has staged nine productions and the Royal Opera House. From 2006 to 2010 she was choreographer for the MA in Costume Design at the London College of Fashion. International touring and teaching includes Spain, Italy, Romania, Slovenia, Croatia, Singapore, Denmark and Japan. She is a Lecturer in Contemporary Theatre Practice at Goldsmiths College, University of London and Academic Advisor and for BA Dance and BA Acting at Lasalle College of the Arts in Singapore.

She has studied Butoh since 1992, established Butoh UK in 1997 and has organised over 60 workshops and numerous festivals. She has refused a ‘master’ but her main influences have been numerous collaborations with Ko Murobushi and Atsushi Takenouchi and has studied with teachers as diverse as Kazuo and Yoshito Ohno, Akiko Motofuji (the widow of Tatsumi Hijikata), Kim Itoh, Masaki Iwana, Natsu Nakajima and Carlotta Ikeda.

She has carved out her own distinct methodology and aesthetic reflected in her choreographic works for which she has been awarded numerous funding grants from ACE, British Council and other sources. She has collaborated with Nick Parkin for all her productions since 1994. Her work is featured in several publications on Butoh.

www.rotieproductions.com

Nick Parkin is an award-winning Composer, Musician, Artist, Director and Movement Practitioner. He is a specialist in environmental and site based sound and performance. Since 2001 he has taught Environmental and Site Specific Performance and Butoh. TrainingNick trained in Fine Arts and Community Arts at Bradford Art College 1980 – 83 specializing in procession, masked performance and fire sculpture. He then later gained an MA in Electro-acoustic music composition at University of East Anglia 1998-1999.

Since 1984 Nicks main artistic preoccupation has been with landscape, body states, ritual, mythological and elemental themes creating performance, costume, mask, installations, painting, assemblages, photography, film, video and sound / music compositions in England, Wales, Ireland, Spain, Switzerland, Italy, and Germany.

From 1982-1994 Nick was active as a dancer/performer creating work derived from landscape with a particular relation to stone. This work made in collaboration with dancer Katharina Vogel was created via residencies all over Europe including Britain, Switzerland, Italy, Germany and Spain. Their work culminated in a number of duet productions such as Field and Stone Trilogy.

His last solo production was ‘Stone Trilogy’ performed as part of ‘East Winds’ Butoh Festival Chisenhale Dance Space London, 1994.

He has over 10 releases on CD, which have evolved from his ongoing interest in elemental sound, environmental and micro sounds and the meeting points of industrial, architectural and natural sound worlds. TV and Radio Engagements include for BBC Wales, BBC radio and Nick’s sound has been commissioned on numerous occasions for BBC Radio 4 Drama. festivals in Zurich Switzerland, Italy, Belgium, Womad Festival Reading UK.

Nick has taught environmental, site-specific, Butoh and sound workshops in UK and Internationally including for Laban, Siobhan Davies, Schloss Brollin research centre in East Germany, Bangor University North Wales, Extra Mural Department. Butoh, Improvisation and Physical Theatre, Commonwealth Institute London, Birmingham City Museum (mask making & movement workshops)  East 15 acting school University of Essex and Butoh UK.

Testimonials and Participant feedback

Your teaching approach is extremely supportive, responsive and always positive and your generosity with your knowledge was exceptional. The amount of information, guidance, context and historical underpinning covered was enormous in the short time, all of which was consolidated through practical exercises and experiences. Your humanity and gentle humour communicated really well through the whole week. You were both extremely approachable. The group was very supportive of each other which only enhanced the experience (Simon)

Thanks for all your kindness, patience and generosity during our week away and all the administration that went into it before hand and your great sensitivity and flexibility with respect to our needs. (Pauline)

I thought the workshop was executed really well, I actually really enjoyed the time indoors in the town hall as well.. it was a nice contrast to not have the distraction of the landscape/elements for a short while to focus on movement and then take it outside. I know it defeats the purpose of a wilderness workshop to suggest being indoors, but for those people (like me) who are new to dance It was a good exercise. (Charlotte)

It is a great experience for me to feel the nature and reflect my on my life in city. Also I feel like I have experienced more about the philosophical thoughts behind butoh, nature and human which actually enriches my recent project about nature and theatre! I truly appreciate your teaching and the inspiration from this workshop. (Kit)

Just wanted to say thank you so much for an amazing week of learning. Thank you everyone for being so kind and generous, I always felt welcome and safe. (Lizzie)

www.butohuk.com