'Butoh in Nature with Vangeline' Human-Nature Connect Residency, Reeth, 13 - 16 July 2023

Arts for Social Change

'Butoh in Nature with Vangeline' Human-Nature Connect Residency, Reeth, 13 - 16 July 2023
Image credits: Vangeline in FInland by Marko Poolamets (above and below)
Artist: Vangeline

‘Butoh in Nature with Vangeline'

International Butoh Teacher, Dancer and Author, Vangeline, based in New York joins with Intercultural Roots cofounder Dr. Alex Boyd to teach in Reeth, Swaledale, North England.


“We are all made from the same stardust that existed at the beginning of the universe. We are all connected, and Butoh can help us experience and celebrate this interconnectedness” Vangeline.

Join us this July 13 - 16 for a 3-night, 2 full-day, Butoh residency with Vangeline and Alex in Reeth, UK. Open your senses and enjoy the profound experience of dancing butoh in nature in an idyllic setting.

No previous dance experience is necessary, although somatic mindfullness practices are helpful. This residency is open level and beginners are welcome.

THIS RESIDENCY IS NOW FULLY BOOKED

CLICK HERE for further Human-Nature Connect residency opportunities

Vangeline by Michael Blase

About Butoh:


“I would love to offer you even something as tiny as a grain of sand. If only I could succeed in doing that, then I might fulfill my longing to share a part of my life with you. Isn’t it worth risking one’s life to offer something as microscopic as that tiny single grain of sand chosen from amidst countless millions? Take great care at all times. Even the most infinitesimal detail of the slightest gesture you make should be executed with loving care.It’s never too late to start”.

-Kazuo Ohno, from Kazuo Ohno’s World: From Without & Within


Butoh is a captivating Japanese avant-garde dance form that originated in the 1950s, blending diverse influences such as surrealism, neo-dada, and European literature to create an expressive and transformative art. Pioneered by Tatsumi Hijikata and Ohno Kazuo, Butoh encompasses both choreographed and improvised styles that delve into the subconscious and hidden depths of human consciousness. Evolving over time with the contributions of various artists, including trailblazing female dancers, Butoh now flourishes globally as a dynamic cross-cultural exchange that continually challenges and expands the boundaries of artistic expression.

Learn more about Butoh here: https://www.vangeline.com/butoh

About Vangeline


Testimonial from Alexandra Borovski, NY

"Dear Vangeline,
Thank you so much for the amazing workshop and transformative Butoh experience. I left the workshop on Sunday feeling a sense of empowerment and tender rawness... like I had been turned inside out. Thank you for cultivating a challenging and supportive space for us all to explore together. I genuinely felt encouraged and protected to suspend my being and I can't thank you enough for allowing that spaciousness."

Read more testimonials here: https://www.vangeline.com/testimonials

Image: Vangeline

Vangeline draws on 21 years of experience as a Butoh teacher and dancer, and has 35  years of expertise in the field of dance. She is the author of the critically acclaimed book of non-fiction Butoh: Cradling Empty Space. With her all-female dance company, Vangeline’s socially conscious performances tie together butoh and activism. Vangeline is the founder of the New York Butoh Institute Festival, which elevates the visibility of women in Butoh, and the festival Queer Butoh. She pioneered the award-winning, 15-year running program The Dream a Dream Project, which brings Butoh dance to incarcerated men and women at correctional facilities across New York State. Her choreographed work has been performed in Chile, Hong Kong, Germany, Denmark, France, the UK, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

Vangeline is the Recipient of 2022/2023 Gibney Dance in Process Artist Residency and the winner of a 2022 National Endowment for the Arts Dance Award. She is also a 2018 NYFA/NYSCA Artist Fellow in Choreography for Elsewhere; the winner of the 2015 Gibney Dance Social Action Award as well as the 2019 Janet Arnold Award from the Society of Antiquaries of London. Her work as an educator, choreographer, and curator has been supported by The National Endowment for the Arts, Japan Foundation, New York Department of Cultural Affairs, New York Foundation for the Arts, New York Council on the Arts, Robert Friedman Foundation, and Asian American Arts Alliance.

She  is a member of the International Association for Dance Medicine. She  teaches trauma-informed Butoh classes. Vangeline welcomes students with  disabilities, including students with hearing impairment, and/or  students who are visually impaired or wheelchair-bound students. All  workshops are open level and beginners are welcome.

www.vangeline.com

THIS RESIDENCY IS NOW FULLY BOOKED

CLICK HERE for further Human-Nature Connect residency opportunities

*Please Note:
- The match funding we receive from the Aviva Community Fund is a vital part that allows each residency to raise enough funds to be able to go ahead. If you wish to support and attend more than one residency please Contact Us.
- Most of the residencies involve some moderately challenging physical ability such as being able to walk for 30 minutes or more on rough terrain, hills or into caves. You will also be required to bring outdoor clothing and footwear suitable for the activities you will be undertaking as well as a sleeping bag, towel (and a tent if camping) etc. You will be responsible for making your own way to the accommodation with the possibility of pick-up's at local train stations.

'Butoh in Nature with Vangeline'

- a Human-Nature Connect Residency, Reeth, 13 - 16 July 2023

Image: Old Gang lead mine at Reeth in Swaledale Yorkshire Dales By Chris

What's Included?

Human-Nature Connect (H-NC) invites artists and practitioners from across the UK to part-funded outdoor residencies thanks to the Aviva Community Fund. Each residency offers a site specific experience of sharing practice with and within nature while realising 'eco-entangled' (Donna Haraway) life ways that are more sustainable for humans and nature.

"Swaledale, the most northern and least visited of the Yorkshire Dales, is a stunning landscape of glistening green fields and barren moorlands."

Nestled in the heart of Yorkshire in the north of England, Swaledale is a picturesque gem, renowned for its verdant valleys, dramatic waterfalls, and quaint stone barns. This enchanting dale boasts a rich tapestry of archaeological wonders, such as the ancient field systems and remnants of lead mining, bearing testament to the region's industrious past. At the epicentre of this captivating landscape lies the charming village of Reeth, a perfect base for those seeking solace in Swaledale's unspoiled beauty. Visitors are enticed by the area's abundant opportunities for invigorating walks, wildlife encounters, and breathtaking vistas, offering an unforgettable experience where history, nature, and serenity converge in harmonious balance.

Low Row Bunk Barns at Reeth, Swaledale, Yorkshire Dales
Our Reeth residency includes:
- shared room bunk-bed accommodation for over 20 people plus facilitators at Reeth Low Row Bunk Barns;
- meals (veggie / vegan / gluten free options);
- artistic and (eco)somatic facilitation with Dr. Alex Boyd with special guest Vangeline. You will be undertaking several hours of guided movement and dance practice each day both in- and out-doors;
- videography and opportunities for your own filming and photography;
- transportation or walks to local sites as required;
- outdoors health & safety support and guidance as required*;
- an experience of land-based environmental work such as litter picking, planting trees, rewilding and supporting natural wildlife habitats;
- an online logistics meeting and individualised support to ensure everything goes smoothly prior to the event.
* H-NC residencies involve some moderately challenging physical ability such as being able to walk for 30 minutes or more on rough terrain, hills or into caves. You will also be required to bring outdoor clothing and footwear suitable for the activities you will be undertaking as well as a sleeping bag, towel (and a tent if camping) etc. You will be responsible for making your own way to the accommodation with the possibility of pick-up's at local train stations.
BOOK HERE by selecting the relevant Reward or contact us for a Fully Funded Bursary

Dr. Alex Boyd, Residency Co-Facilitator

Image: Dr. Alex Boyd at Yosemite National Park, Daoist embodied culture teacher and cofounder, Intercultural Roots

Alex Boyd (PhD, FRSA)

has a passion for enabling collaborations based on equity, integrity and mutual benefit. He is the conceiver and a cofounder of the Embodied Research Working Group at the IFTR from which he cofounded and is Executive Director of Intercultural Roots. He is a practitioner-scholar who graduated from the University of California at Davis PhD programme with a focus on the fields of Performance Studies and Critical Education. Dr Boyd's dissertation entitled ‘The Sustainability of Traditional Knowledge Systems’ draws on what is more than 3 decades of professional work in performing, developing practice and teacher training in Chinese Daoist embodied culture to benefit communities in the UK, Europe and North America. He is a Research Associate with the University of California at Davis (Theatre & Dance) and a Core Member of Cross Pollination. His research includes exploration for how performers, through in-person and digital communications and media, can cultivate and connect through presence. This is work that has already benefited many internationally acclaimed dancers, musicians, athletes and even CEO’s. Alex was born in Irvine, Scotland and is currently based in Ilkley, Yorkshire (UK) with his family and enjoys playing the guitar, often too loud, wandering up on the moors, and finding quietude with nature.

THIS RESIDENCY IS NOW FULLY BOOKED


- Most of the residencies involve some moderately challenging physical ability such as being able to walk for 30 minutes or more on rough terrain, hills or into caves. You will also be required to bring outdoor clothing and footwear suitable for the activities you will be undertaking as well as a sleeping bag, towel (and a tent if camping) etc. You will be responsible for making your own way to the accommodation with the possibility of pick-up's at local train stations.

Click here to discover our full range of residencies:

Human-Nature Connect 2023

H-NC residencies provide the immersive time that is so very much needed to increase connections with our inner space, allowing nature's healing and providing artistic kinship.

We are nature and land connected, and giving voice to different artistic and cultural languages that each illuminate one another and attend to the intricate interweaving tendrils of our being, opens possibilities for allowing release, healing and creation.

Through light artistic facilitation from Intercultural Roots' founder, Dr. Alex Boyd and with special guest Vangeline, non-empty spaces that are full of potential are opened, allowing new horizons to be realised through peer to peer support, attentive listening, and being in congress with our inner and outer landscapes. Nature orientated guidance and support from locals informs our ethnographical knowing of the land, unlocking her historical and ancestral mysteries.

Human-Nature Connect invites artists and practitioners to part-funded outdoor residencies thanks to the Aviva Community Fund. Each residency offers a site specific experience of sharing practice with and within nature while realising 'eco-entangled' (Donna Haraway) life ways that are more sustainable for humans and nature.

Human-Nature Connect extends inclusive social cohesion efforts to the outdoors, promoting arts, health, and climate action.

With thanks to our funders: