An International Arts Synergy Festival “BUTOH EXPRESSIONS”

The main aim: network and cooperation through cultural diversity.

The long term goals of the festival:
1) Highlighting Japanese butoh dance as un unique arts synergy form, influenced European and American dance, theatre and arts processes in 90’ of 20th century. This kind of art is almost unknown for Latvian theatre professionals and audience;
2) Highlighting East-European and East-Nordic and European-Canadian axis: butoh dance influence to arts scene today;
3) European experience exchange in butoh inspired art’s approaches;
4) Crossing cultural and art borders and developing cultural network in the field of multidisciplinary arts related butoh (Baltic Countries – European Countries– Japan).
5) Supporting flexible, intercultural, democratic model of public thinking through new art forms.

Festival aims:
1) to bring butoh related – multidisciplinary, high quality artists from Lithuania, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Canada, Japan to Latvian audience;
2) to make network between European, Japan and Latvian artists;
3) to develop contemporary art processes and cultural collaboration;
4) to give new, original perspective on multidisciplinary arts field;
5) to support cultural collaboration in the field on multidisciplinary arts field.

Festival plan:
1) guest performances;
2) local performances;
3) workshops;
4) collaboration performances as result of networking;
5) photo and interactive exhibition “BUTOH – mad(e) in Japan?”;
6) photo, poetry book and video DVD as attachment with participation of festival artists as result of networking;
7) festival club (lectures, discussions, video, jam sessions).

Festival strategy:
I part: workshops; II part: performances; II part: network building

Festival partner organizations: Kitt Johnson’s Company X act (Denmark); Denise Jujiwara Company (Japan – Canada); Aura Dance Theatre (Lithuania); Artbereg (Russia).

Artists involved:
1) Kitt Johnson – butoh, investigation of creativity (Denmark);
2) KEN MAI - butoh approach (Finland - Japan);
3) Denise Fujiwara – contemplation dance (Canada – Japan);
4) Maja Ratkje, Hild Sofie, Lotta Melin – voice and movement (Norway);
5) Skaidra Jancaite – butoh based singing (Lithuania);
6) Toshiharu Kasai and Mika Takeuchi - butoh dance (Japan);
7) Johan Nilsson – contactimprovisation and butoh (Sweden);
8) Simona Orinska – butoh dance (Latvia);
9) Janis Deinats – photographer (Latvia);
10) Modris Tenisons – artist (Latvia);
11) Armands Starzds – multimedia artist (Latvia).

Participants: about 100 multidisciplinary, nonverbal, dance theatre professionals from Europe.
Target group: students, theatre, dance, arts and culture professionals.
Information, publicity work: advertisement plan (flayers, posters, booklets, articles, radio jingle, TV jingle), special events and discounts for the students.
Dissemination of the project’s results, as well as possible follow-up: to continue festival network and workshops idea through following years.