NexGen Butoh Lovers Showcase

Last fall, Dovetail Studios put out a call for 16 x 2, a subsidized rental of their studio space for a weekend of performance in 2025. After the loss of our primary dance studio (OuterSpace studios) and many important teachers in the last few years, I thought this would be a great moment to premiere NexGen Butoh Lovers Showcase in Chicago, to feel and carry the support of this community that communes around Butoh. So I quickly applied and put down the deposit to hold my space. I saw it as an opportunity to bring visiting artists together to perform and learn together. I also knew that I would not be able to support a group of artists to come together on my own, nor with ticket sales only. That's where 3Arts and you come in. 

Historically, Butoh is a contemporary art form with its origins in Japan by two prescient humans, Tatsumi Hijikata and Kazuo Ohno. Their students and proteges continue to pass down direct knowledge through travelling and  teaching all over the world. Butoh has spawned a global art form, with small communities evolving and learning through their bodies collectively. These teachers have offered guiding principles to find our own bodies and each other in a different way, that we as students cultivate and practice, creating our unique takes and responses to the style. Butoh Curious Chi  is a personal project of mine which began in 2014, with Chicago’s first ever Butoh Festival at the Chicago Cultural Center. For eleven years now, we have produced scores of events featuring Butoh artists throughout Chicagoland and beyond. Some of our teachers have come several times, holding workshops, student performances and performing evening length solos (a favorite among our audiences.) Speaking of audiences, which keep reaching and expanding, we are cultivating an inclusive community. We are learning as we go. We are improvising and connecting to ourselves and to each other, deeply. 

At NexGen Butoh Lovers Showcase, we will be highlighting several artists who are studying Butoh deeply and carrying this heritage into the future. For two nights, we will highlight visiting artists Luciana Arias (ATL), Iván-Daniel Espinosa (CO), Peter Redgrave (Bal), and Sophia Solano (OR). Each night will begin with live compositions created by local sound artists Norman W. Long (Friday) and Kim Nucci (Saturday), and accompanied by improvisors Cristal Sabbagh, Helen Lee, and more TBA. In the days before and after, there will be Butoh workshops led by our visiting artists. This small festival hopes to draw a full house for both nights, as well as full attendance for workshops and discussions. Ticket prices will range to include student and senior discounts, as well as fully subsidized options. Funds that are collected  through this 3AP campaign will go toward artists’ travel, performance stipends, teaching fees, our lighting technician, and documentarians for our main event, NexGen Butoh Lovers Showcase April 9-13. We look forward to celebrating with you there!