Hand/Face Study

So I'm just allowing the creative juices to flow. Maybe not exactly with any real, concrete purpose in mind, but more to just see what emerges. I use a lot of gesture and facial expressions in my work and decided to document some images. Images of particular gestures and facials expressions I tend to use and reuse a lot. With these, it's hand and face. I love playing with the reaction to just the contact, or touch of an object, and how it affects the experience for the performer, as well as the viewer. Enjoy!

#1 Contact

#2 Travel

#3 Grasp

#4 Hesitant

#5 Remember

#6 Surrender

Let the teaching begin....

I have finally started to teach everything I've learned and trained in Butoh. I have always had it in me to share these wonderful tools, exercises, and practices that can benefit ANYONE, regardless of dance experience.

My intention is to contribute my 10 years experience of training and performing in this movement practice, as well as making a safe and sacred space for others to experience and really be in their bodies. To connect and integrate all their experiences in their life in the present moment and create a container, so all that energy can move in a creative, playful way.

On Sunday, I practiced teaching some exercises to two individuals who had interest and a familiarity of butoh. Although, we only had an hour, which only touched the surface, it made a huge impact. They want more!

So let the teaching begin, but first, let the contribution and sharing of this amazing practice be dispersed out to the world, allowing integration of the mind, body, and soul....and all that it is made of.

Bare Bones Butoh Presents 23

BARE BONES BUTOH PRESENTS: SHOWCASE #23!

(Adventurous Shows for an Adventurous Audience)


WHEN:

Friday Nov 18, 2011, and Saturday, Nov 19, 2011
Both performances are at 8:00 pm



WHERE:
Studio 210
3435 Cesar Chavez St (at Valencia)
San Francisco, CA 94110
Studio 210 is located in the former Sears Building, inset from the corner of Cesar Chavez and Valencia Street. Accessible by: BART - 24th St Station; and MUNI - #12, #27, #14, #49. Plenty of on-street parking.


TICKETS:
Performances: $5-$20 sliding scale. No one turned away for lack of funds.
Additional donations are graciously accepted and gratefully appreciated.


WHO:
This time around, the performers are:

Ronnie Baker, Christina Braun (Saturday only), Darya Chernova (Saturday only), Ron Chornow, Michael Curran, Mark Deutsch (Saturday only), Coicoi Duncan, Liz Filippone (Saturday only), David Flaig (Friday only), Wolfgang Heinle, Luku (Friday only), Martha Matsuda (Saturday only), Ri Molnar (Friday only), Jeffrey Mooney (Saturday only), Angela Newsham, and Bob Webb.

Quite a line-up, wouldn't you say? Should be a couple of VERY GOOD SHOWS!

Surprise guest artists may also be performing as well. There are often last minute additions (local, national, and international artists) to the programing, it's that kind of show.


WHAT:
Bare Bones Butoh Presents is a performance Showcase for local, national, and International artists working in the areas of butoh, performance art, and/or ritual performance. It exists for artists to try out new material, show works in process, hone improvisational chops, and redo or revisit previous material. Bare Bones Butoh Showcases employ the grassroots ethic of working together to sustain an artistic culture. We are community building and performance all smushed together into two evenings.


Thank you for your time, and we hope to see you there.


Further info:
Bob Webb
bobwebb20@hotmail.com
510-284-7025

A-while

It's not only been awhile since I wrote on this blog (ok, only a month, but that's long for me), but it's been awhile (again for me) since I've danced. It's been awhile since I've been creative with movement. Yes, teaching a yoga class does require creativity, energy, and skill. But I miss the vastness and broadness of my butoh practice. I miss the fact that you don't really have to have a plan, and other times you can be more specific with your movement and inspiration.

I have been busy, but it's been a "good, productive" busy because I'm beginning to manifest and create what I want to do as a career and purpose in life.

Then I think of my dance practice and I feel this yearning. It's stronger at times. I trust that I will get back into it because it's what feeds my whole being and I find it therapeutic and a healing practice. I have aspirations to teach butoh exercises as a healing and self-care tool, and I'm working with a life coach on developing that. I also want to regroup with my fellow butoh clan and start generating ideas for projects, classes, workshops, or to just see them!!!!!

It's all about trust. I feel the fire getting ready to ignite. I'm gonna breathe, breathe, breathe.....

Dancing on a tree spine

I will one of these days be more proactive in providing pictures with some of these posts. Especially the tree I danced with this weekend....

I went to Tilden Regional Park north of UC Berkeley with my friend/mentor/teacher/collaborator for a short hike and a butoh practice/play. On our way back, we stopped at a tree that resembled a spine with the ribs jetting out the sides. We decided to pick this area for practice. Without any plan in mind, we began climbing the tree, which was at a slant, so if you fell you didn't have a long way to go down.

We laid on it; sat; leaned; walked from branch to branch; perched on a branch like crows taking a break; and, of course, danced. There's something calming, spiritual, and grounding when in nature, especially when you take the time to really BE in a spot.

Even though the bark on the tree trunk was dry and falling off, there were living pine needles at the edge of the some of branches, so we both knew it was still alive. Gazing up toward the sky, the other pines around us provided a blanket or net of protection. The wind traveled all around and through us and the tree, adding more of the natural atomsphere.

I wonder if that tree was dancing too. I hope we made it happy because I felt better afterward, even though I felt fine before.

Perhaps it's the connection with nature. With butoh practice, I find the exercises very primitive or related to nature. You learn to embody them as a whole, through a break down of body parts and senses. For example, I loved making my arm, hand and fingers mirror the tree branches. Then, I would allow the rest of my body to join in. Also, the sounds of nature. For instance, gawking like a crow or some other bird. Although, it may seem absurd at first (and we were laughing quite a bit at first), it's quite playful and animalistic.

Aaaahhh, nature! Give me some MORE of that!

I think we all could use a little more.

Do you dance in nature? If so, where?

My Relationship with Butoh

What is my relationship with Butoh?

I asked myself this question after attending, Between Experiment, Form and Culturalism: Butoh in History and Contemporary Practice at UCLA on May 20-22. I drove down with two other women, who also practice and dance Butoh. I received so much information, it was almost too much! But I got to see some amazing Butoh Dancers perform and connect with other like-minded Butoh enthusiasts.

So what is my relationship to Butoh? I don't know where to start, so let's ask another question, what is Butoh to me? Here's a list:

• mysterious
• transformation
• different from other dance forms such as ballet, modern, etc.
• cathartic
• emotional
• physical
• dark
• beautiful
• violent
• sensual
• moving meditation
• chaotic
• disorganized
• surreal
• healthy
  

This is only the short version of the list.

I love it because it's everything for me when I witness, perform and practice it. I can't stand it sometimes because I can never explain it in words to someone, who has never heard of it. I usually say, "Go on youtube and search 'butoh'." I guess that's why I keep doing it. It's a continuous, ongoing practice, which changes each time you experience it. Something new emerges and more becomes clear or confusing. There's no set form because everyone carries it differently.

For example, Maro Akaji, who was one of the panelists and workshop facilitators at the UCLA Butoh Symposium, explained how we have "molds" or histories within us. These "mold" come from our past, ancestors, traumas, etc. We bring these molds to our Butoh practice. This is why I find it so intriguing and rich.

Although, I could probably write an entire essay on my relationship with Butoh, I feel, right now, it's complicated. But open. I'm open and willing to see what it presents itself to me, and not pushed or pressured into finding its meaning. Only a sense of allowing and appreciation for its mystery and beauty at this time.

For those of you who have practiced, performed and/or witnessed Butoh, what's your relationship with it? What keeps you interested and/or coming back? Love? Hate? Meaning?

Moving in outdoor spaces 2

Over the weekend I got to experience moving on the beach in a variety of different ways and forms. I hope to add some photos and video from this day to this blog soon. Above is just one of the many images captured.

Playing with elements was so exhilarating! The wind, ocean, and sand inspired me immensely. Also, some man-made elements too: cement walls covered with graffiti.

On the beach, surrounded by sand, water, concrete, mountains, people, and animals, I danced for my Nana. It's the 1 year anniversary of her passing, so I felt the need to acknowledge and honor that. As the wind pushed and penetrated me, I embodied my Nana's qualities as I remembered. I allowed my body to move with those memories and experiences of her as a person, woman, and spirit. I really love the concept of embodiment with movement, especially with butoh. What are some ways one unites the mind and body in the performance arts? I would love to read more about this. Those who are reading this, if you have any recommendations, do share!

After my dance "For Nana", my dance partner and I began to embody the dogs in the area. I'm not sure where to begin in describing this, so I'll just go for it. We began mirroring a dog nearby, that was hysterically digging into the sand and jumping around, probably to get his owners' attention (they were laying on a blanket). So we began digging in the sand like wild animals. The energy and work involved in this was so much, my dance partner said, "it's tiring to be a dog." Then we began playing "stick." Literally, throwing the stick out to a point and the other going after it; however, in our case, we were leaping for it. There was a lot of belly laughing in between leaps during this time, which went on for 15 minutes. When do you decide and say to your friend/companion, "Let's play stick." What a concept. In fact, what a great time! Everyone should do this.

Our final spot, was the concrete wall of graffiti, which had a steep hill of sand directly in front it, creating a dip formation. We played with this construction by jumping and hopping from sand to wall. The wall had a slight curve to it, so you felt like a skateboarder, only without the skateboard. Running, jumping, hopping, turning, pausing, and embodying. Embodying the energy from the concrete and graffiti. One could inquire what the purpose was for a particular piece of the graffiti; when it was created there; etc. I love how the sand intersected with it, bringing this natural element into the play.

Moving in the outdoors gives so much possibility and inspiration, I want more......