Ko Murobushi, a renowned Butoh dancer, will give a three-day workshop open to anyone interested in learning more about this art form.
The aim will be for the participants as a group to think about the hybrid-ness and plurality of “Butoh” and what an “Asian body” is.
Central to the possibilities of “Butoh” is the concept of exposing oneself to the breakdown of identity (personal and dance-wise) – what emerges out of the breakdown, what arises but crumbles away. Crisis; that is Butoh.
Dates: 13 – 15 January 2004 (Tuesday – Thursday)
Time: 3.00pm – 6.00pm
Venue: Studio Chombrang
(5A, Jalan Cempaka 16, Taman Cempaka, Ampang)
Fee: RM 50 (flat fee for 3 days)
Limited to 10 persons
Registration: Mew Chang Tsing (016-221 0562)
Ko Murobushi is in Kuala Lumpur as part of the Japan-Malaysia Technical Design Workshop organised by the Malaysian Alliance of Technical Theatre and The Japan Foundation, Kuala Lumpur, with support from MyDance Alliance and Studio Chombrang.
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Ko Murobushi
(see http://www.t0.or.at/~dstrehly/butoh2.htm for more information)
Ko Murobushi is one of the best known Butoh-dancers of our time. Born in Tokyo, he was a little boy when Butoh was born in 1959 by Tatsumi Hijikata. By 1968 he had already studied and performed with Hijikata in Japan.
After this first contact with Butoh, Ko retired from the stage in 1970 and practised for two years ascetic life and shamanism as so-called Yamabushi in the Japanese mountains.
Back into society he founded the Butoh group DAIRAKUDAN together with Ushio Ama-gatsu, Akaji Maro and others, doing several performances in Tokyo and Kyoto.
In 1974 he created the Butoh-magazine “Hageshii Kisetsu (Violent Season)” and founded a female Butoh-Compagnie ARIADONE for which he did many choreographies. Two years later he founded a similar only-male Butoh-group: SEBI.
With a co production of these two groups he brought Butoh to Europe. “Le Dernier Eden – Porte De L’au – De La” succeeded in Paris in 1978 and was followed by a big tour through the whole Europe with ARIADONE in 1981/82.
From this time, on Ko Murobushi settled down in Paris and made Paris the European capital of Butoh. Lots of choreographies followed for ARIADONE as well as for Carlotta Ikeda, Urara Kusanagi, Tadashi Endo and others.
Beneath the work as a choreographer for himself and others, Ko keeps a strong tradition of improvisational performances that culminated in 1986 in a cooperation with the Glenn Branca Orchestra in Tokyo.
To list some titles of works of that period: “En”, “Zarathoustra”, “Unemumie”, “Neon Or Neant”, “Utt”, “Lotus Cabaret”, “Hinagata 8”, “Iki”, “Waterworks”, “La Nuit”, “Dehors”, “Monsieur Kafka”, “Pantha Rhei”.
From 1988 onwards, Ko concentrated on duo productions with Urara Kusanagi – “Ephemere” and “Oni One” were created and toured in the following years in Europe and South America; his very successful solo production “En” brought him to Mexico.
Choreographies from the last few years include: “Mamuish”, “Nomadic Blue”, “Pie” and “Ai-Amour” (duo with Carlotta Ikeda), “Working Process”, “Sebi” (Duos with Urara Kusanagi). In January 1996 he created a new solo for the MAMU-Festival in Göttingen/Germany: “In Chance”, in May 1997 there followed another solo “In Silence”, co produced by Le Quartz/Brest & La Fonderie. In 1998 “Working Process” toured successfully through Venezuela and Eastern Europe.
In 1999 and 2000 Ko concentrated his work to Mexico with teaching and creating choreography for Urara Kusanagi in a Mexican film, entitled “Vera”, directed by Francisco Athie. In that time he also re-concentrated his work to Japan, doing several performances there.
Ko Murobushi on the one hand continues to open his dance and the Butoh to worldwide influence. On the other hand he tries to research his work deeper into its Japanese roots. His last performace, “Edge”, in Japan in 2000 shocked the Japanese public but has also been highly appreciated.
Also his recent perfomance & teaching in Vienna “ImPuls Tanz 2001” has been recognized as the most valuable event of the festival.