A Butoh workshop with somatic approach with Yumino Seki
WHAT'S ON
A Point of Transformation
Event details
18 July 2026
1:00 pm - 6:00 pm
£60
Please note, we are on the second floor, accessed by a staircase only. Regrettably the studios are not wheelchair accessible.
About the Workshop:
Mujyōkan literally translates to ‘view of impermanence’. It represents the deep, mindful awareness that all things are transient, ever-changing, and not eternal in Japanese philosophy.
“The flow of the river never ceases, And the water never stays the same.
Bubbles float on the surface of pools, Bursting, re-forming, never lingering.
They’re like the people in this world and their dwellings.” Hōjōki
In this workshop we will be exploring the concept around Mujyōkan with Summer’s imagery and poetry through the sensory journey.
舞踏, Butoh is a form of Japanese avant-garde dance which emerged from the post war chaos in Japan in the late 50s when the country grappled by the clash between new Western technology and traditional Japanese values. Butoh became a new form of expression, neither an imitation of Western culture nor a traditional Japanese cultural practice. Butoh was called ‘the dance of darkness’. Influenced by German Expressionism, self-identity was radically explored with bodily expression. Butoh proposes culturally diverse ways of seeing such as the cycle of life & death, Ma (in between space which applies to both time & space), Wabi (humbleness/simplicity) and Sabi (process of decay).
Somatic is the study of a ‘person’ as a living functional body. Integrating the body, mind and emotion whilst using movement as the main exploratory tool. Shifting attention from ‘action’ to ‘active listening’ and through attentive touch our perception will be enhanced. Experiential anatomy drawn from somatic practice helps us elicit details and a depth of expression, from robust muscular action to subtle cellular presence in micro movement.
Using this sensory feedback and Butoh’s perspective as guidance we will explore Butoh’s unique visceral & complex expression. Creating the neutral body as an empty vehicle the transformative and transient nature of the body will be rigorously investigated, where process becomes the work itself. Aiming to embody sensation and imagery in movement.
Working in groups, pairs and individuals in both dynamic and quiet practice the workshop will be guided by imagery based improvisations with music. Be attentive, curious and playful.
Butoh sees dance as a living process and it pushes the boundaries of what we already know.
‘My work starts from trust; trusting that the body has its own intelligence & experience. Not moving but being moved. Raw yet subtle, meditative yet self-destructive, stark yet sensual. Conflict and harmony co-exist in an ambiguous way. I explore and reflect the inner self where the body becomes mere ‘being’ and where a point of transformation occurs’. Yumino.
Photo by Kaixiang Zhang
About the Artist:
Yumino Seki is a Japanese dance artist, Butoh practitioner and qualified somatic movement educator who performs, teaches and collaborates to make performances. She was born in Japan and has trained in both classical and contemporary dance.
Between 1999 and 2009 she performed in Butoh predominately with Tadashi Endo (Mamu Dance Theatre), Yumiko Yoshioka (Ten-Pen-Chii) both in Germany and Carlotta Ikeda (Ariadone) in France. In 2007 started VMI Somatic Practice with Patricia Bardi in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
She has been interested in the authenticity of the temporal body for many years resulting in many pieces, which are site responsive and improvised in nature. Collaborating with artists from diverse disciplines has given her a broad approach to her movement practice. Since 2012 on the completion of VMI Somatic Practice she has been developing her Butoh and somatic work.
Her work crosses the boundaries of dance, performance art, installation and ritual. Her work has been presented in many different contexts including art galleries, theatres, shop fronts, private houses, festivals and nature. She has directed group choreography with cross-discipline and site-specific performances both indoors and outdoors. Key funders and commissioners include Arts Council England, The Japan Foundation, Cairo, Japan Society, Chisenhale Dance Space, Hastings Borough Council and many more.
SEKI’S collaborative work includes dance, theatre, music, film and visual art as live exhibitions. Collaborating artists include Andrew Kötting (film maker) and Zadie Xa (visual artist) at The National Gallery, London, 58th Venice Biennale, Art Night London, Dance International Glasgow & Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto.
She teaches professional, educational and community settings with all ages and abilities including adults with learning disabilities. She is a guest artist at Butoh Brighton, Butoh UK, Mountview and Felingnol Woodland Retreat, Wales. She taught at South Coast College Hastings, Buck’s New University, London Metropolitan University, Northern School of Contemporary Dance, Independent Dance.