Workshops

17 e 18 january 2026  |  11h00 – 17h00

Butoh workshop – The body as a vessel of metamorphoses with Yael Karavan

Butoh is an avant-garde dance form, a philosophy, and a method that was created in Japan in the late 1950s by Tatsumi Hijikata and Kazuo Ohno. It is not a technique, but rather a method and approach to dance that arises from within us and connects us to our essence, nature, the universe, and the cycles of life and death.

Karavan is proposing an intensive exploration of Butoh, starting from the philosophy of its founding members until its current relevance, as a tool of creation, rebirth and transformation.

“Again and again we are reborn. It is not enough simply to be born of the mother’s womb. Many births are necessary. Be reborn always and everywhere. Again and again.” [T. Hijikata Founder of Butoh.]

What is butoh? An exotic performance style based on spectacular effects, white body makeup, grotesquely distorted limbs and faces, and a grueling slow speed of motion? Or is it a form of physical training that releases and brings forth primordial memory in the body that has been suppressed by contemporary society? It is both and neither and something completely else all together. As a simple man from the street once tried to explain:

1. All movements and dances, whose origins are unknown, are butoh.
2. Butoh is that which knows no rules or taboos.
3. When one person says “no” and the others say “yes”, then it’s butoh.

In contrast with other dance styles, butoh does not require learning a fixed vocabulary of dance movements. It draws its inspiration and power from internalised imagery: Buto is a “state of continual emptiness” in which transformation is limitless, and it is ‘possible’ to become any other thing. From another perspective, it is the continual process of self-erasure.

This workshop will work on the elements of metamorphosis, presence, readiness, contrast, dance through images, and tension between opposites. The aim is to free the body from its preconceived mundane set of gestures and movements and thus allow us to access a deeper and more authentic essence of movement and archetypal expression. Questioning how Butoh can be translated into a European body and why Butoh is not only relevant but extremely vital today.

Yael shares nearly 3 decades of Butoh Dace experience, having worked and studied with Butohists from 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation, in Japan and Europe.

Informations

Select each of the sections below to learn about all the workshop specifications and the registration process.

Bio

14 and 15 of December 2024 | 11h00 – 17h00

Butoh fu – Composition with images, the mysterious language of Ankoku Butoh

Butoh is an avant-garde, radical, revolutionary dance of transformation, which emerged at the end of the 50ese in Japan, it is not a technique but rather a method and a philosophy, an approach to dance that is born within us and connects us to our essence, nature, the universe and the cycles of life and death.

Tatsumi Hijikata, the main Ankoku Butoh Dance Founder (Ankoku Butoh- dance of Darkness) used imagery to choreograph his dancers. Butoh-Fu is something that Yukio Waguri, one of his long time dancers, put together from his own notes of the words used by T.Hijikata when he choreographed his dancers at Asbestos-kan, the studio he led in Tokyo.

In this workshop, Karavan introduces, explores and gives experience of numerous original Butoh-Fu, taking us onto a journey through the origins researching for new ways of writing dance / movement scores. Butoh-Fu allows us to encounter the absurd, dadaist and obscure realms of Tatsumi Hijikata, Kazuo Ohno and Ankoku Butoh.

The main elements that will be explored in the workshop are metamorphoses, dance through imagery, presence, awareness, and the tension between opposites with the aim to free the body from its mundane preconceived set of gestures and movements and thus allowing us to access a deeper and more authentic essence of movement and archetypal expression.

Questioning how Butoh can be translated into a European Body and why Butoh is still extremely relevant nowadays, Karavan shares more than 25 years of Butoh experience, during which she had the opportunity to work with founders of Butoh in Japan, Kazuo Ohno and Motofuji San – wife of T. Hijikata – as well as with Tadashi Endo and MAMU dance theatre, Yumiko Yoshioka and Ten-Pen-Chi, Sankai Juku, Minako Seki, Carlota Ikeda, Akira Kasai, Ko Morobushi and Natsu Nakajuma among others.

Photo © Raul Bartolome

Informations

Select each of the sections below to find out more about the workshop and the enrolment process.

Bio

25th and 26th May 2024, from 3pm to 6pm

“When you go deep into anything, it’s a dance”

Kung fu has always been considered the martial art of warrior dancers. Several practitioners of dance, theatre and performance artists consider that Kung Fu reinforces their roots and centers them for performance, thinking of the unique, fluid and spiral aesthetic for their personal and professional development.

What to expect from this two-day meeting: get in touch with exercises and fragrances to be able to risk/express with style.

Informations

Select each of the sections below to find out more about the workshop and the enrolment process.

Bio

9 and 10 December 2023 | 11h00 – 17h00

Butoh fu – Composition with images, the mysterious language of Ankoku Butoh

Butoh is an avant-garde, radical, revolutionary dance of transformation, which emerged at the end of the 50ese in Japan, it is not a technique but rather a method and a philosophy, an approach to dance that is born within us and connects us to our essence, nature, the universe and the cycles of life and death.

Tatsumi Hijikata, the main Ankoku Butoh Dance Founder (Ankoku Butoh- dance of Darkness) used imagery to choreograph his dancers. Butoh-Fu is something that Yukio Waguri, one of his long time dancers, put together from his own notes of the words used by T.Hijikata when he choreographed his dancers at Asbestos-kan, the studio he led in Tokyo.

In this workshop, Karavan introduces, explores and gives experience of numerous original Butoh-Fu, taking us onto a journey through the origins researching for new ways of writing dance / movement scores. Butoh-Fu allows us to encounter the absurd, dadaist and obscure realms of Tatsumi Hijikata, Kazuo Ohno and Ankoku Butoh.

The main elements that will be explored in the workshop are metamorphoses, dance through imagery, presence, awareness, and the tension between opposites with the aim to free the body from its mundane preconceived set of gestures and movements and thus allowing us to access a deeper and more authentic essence of movement and archetypal expression.

Questioning how Butoh can be translated into a European Body and why Butoh is still extremely relevant nowadays, Karavan shares more than 25 years of Butoh experience, during which she had the opportunity to work with founders of Butoh in Japan, Kazuo Ohno and Motofuji San – wife of T. Hijikata – as well as with Tadashi Endo and MAMU dance theatre, Yumiko Yoshioka and Ten-Pen-Chi, Sankai Juku, Minako Seki, Carlota Ikeda, Akira Kasai, Ko Morobushi and Natsu Nakajuma among others.

Photo © Raul Bartolome

General Information

Dates: 9th and 10th December (Saturday and Sunday) 2023
Time: 11.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m.
Venue: Forum Dança – Espaço da Penha, Lisbon
Target audience: Professionals, students and people with previous experience in movement, dance and/or theatre.
Maximum number of participants: 20 people

Pré-inscrição

Pre-registration is made using the form available on our website and will be validated once proof of payment has been received and sent to our email address.

Pre-registration process

1. Pre-register online using the form provided;
2. Wait for our email with payment instructions;
3. Pay your registration fee as indicated in the email sent to you;
4. Send us proof of payment by email;
5. Your registration will only be validated once we have received your receipt.

Participation Fee

• Until 2nd December: €75.00
• From 3 December: €85.00
• 10% discount: for people who attend or have attended Forum Dança long-term courses (PACAP/CGPAE/PEPCC/etc.);

Bio

Pre-registration form

Registrations are now closed.

With Francesca Bertozzi and Claude Coldy

20 to 24 of september 2023

An original somatic movement practice by Claude Coldy

This is a workshop for letting us explore the fundamentals of Sensitive Dance, where the relationship with one’s own body and with another person is the central element to the work we will do.

Sensitive Dance is a practice which, through conscious movement, leads to greater awareness of oneself, one’s own body, and one’s perceptions and emotions. It is a practice that invites you to listen deeply to your body’s messages, and which gives access to unexpected, spontaneous responses, refreshing them with new qualities and possibilities of movement.

This practice proposes to revisit some fundamental stages of evolution through a phylogenetic path, consciously reliving various stages of the process of verticalization of the human being, to rediscover the meaning and potential contained in the form and structure of our bodies. Breathing, seeing, sensitive listening, and touching are some of the practices of Sensitive Dance. They allow us to welcome what is born in the density of our bodies and make its authentic quality tangible.

We will be guided to care for and deepen the discovery of movement, to express the dance of the present moment, creating a new language through a dynamic dialogue between breathing, feeling, internal movement and external movement. Sensitive Dance is a fundamental training for building the presence of the performative body, integrating movement and creation practices. It is an invitation to orient oneself in a changing of one’s internal paradigm, in which the performing artist enters full realization of himself through his art. Inhabited in this way, the artistic creation becomes an intimate and timeless space that the artist shares with the public, and to whom he offers his vision and his emotions within the scenic space.

Foto © Andrea Macchia

General Information

This Laboratory is being promoted by Francesca Bertozzi and is supported and hosted by Forum Dança.

People for whom it is intended: The laboratory is aimed at dance and theatre students and professionals, and people with solid experience in researching movement practices.

Maximum number of participants: 20 people.

Schedules

• September 20, 21, 22, from 14:00 to 18:00 (Wednesday to Friday – 12 hours);
• September 23, 24 from 10 am to 6 pm (Saturday and Sunday – 16 hours)
• It is mandatory to be available to attend the laboratory every day it takes place – total duration: 28 hours.

Fee: 75,00 € (seventy five euros).

Venue: Forum Dança / Espaço da Penha | Travessa do Calado, 26B, 1170-070 Lisboa.

Applications

The application is made using the form available on our website, at the end of this page.

If you are one of the selected people, only after receiving proof of payment, which you must send to our email, will your registration be considered validated.

Bios

Application form

Registrations are closed.

21 and 22 of January | 11h00 – 17h00

Butoh and Metamorphoses – the Poetry of Images

“Inside this one body, there are various mythic things that are still sleeping intact… The work is how to excavate them…” – Tatsumi Hijikata, founder of Butoh

Poetic imagery is one of the greatest powers of Butoh dance. Exploring the present body, empty body, body as a vessel and the transformation of our physical states thanks to images.

Butoh is an avant-garde dance of transformation created at the end of the 50 in Japan. Butoh is not a technique but a method and philosophy, an approach to dance that is born within us and connects us to our essence, nature, universe and the cycles of life and death.

The main elements that will be explored in the workshop are metamorphoses, dance through imagery, presence, awareness, and the tension between opposites. The aim is to free the body from its mundane preconceived set of gestures and movements and thus allowing us to access a deeper and more authentic essence of movement and archetypal expression. Questioning how Butoh can be translated into a European Body and why is Butoh not just relevant but extremely vital nowadays.

Yael Karavan has more than 25 years of experience in Butoh, during which he had the opportunity to work with the founders of Butoh in Japan: Kazuo Ohno and Motofuji San – wife of Tatsumi Hijikata – as well as with Tadashi Endo and the MAMU dance theatre, Yumiko Yoshioka and Ten-Pen-Chi, Sankai Juku, Atsushi Takenuchi, Minako Seki, Carlota Ikeda, Yuko Kawamoto, Akira Kasai, Natsu Nakajuma among others.

Foto © Anna Warner

General Information

Dates: 21 and 22 of January 2023
Schedule: From 11h00 to 17h00
Venue: Forum Dança – Espaço da Penha, Lisboa
Recipients: Professionals, students, and people with previous experience in movement, dance and/or theater.
Maximum number of participants: 20

Pre-registration

Registration is carried out using the form available on our website and will be validated after receipt of proof of payment, which you should send to our email.

Participation fee

• Early bird until January 14: 75,00 €
• Normal price after January 14: 85,00 €
• 10% discount for:
  • Students and former students of Forum Dança’s long-term courses (PACAP / CGPAE / PEPCC / etc.).

Bio

Pre-registration form

in collaboration with Fabio Tavares

Estúdios Victor Córdon, Lisbon | Portugal
26 to 30 of September 2022 | 12h00 – 17h00

“In this very special 5-hour workshop in Klein Technique™, Susan Klein (USA) and Fabio Tavares (USA/Brazil) will co-teach this workshop focusing on both the theory and practice of Klein Technique™. Susan will start each day with some movement and then focus on a unique theoretical principle of Klein Technique™ each day. After a break, Fabio will teach a full Stretch and Placement Class. During the classes there will be plenty of time for questions and individual attention.

This workshop will emphasize the pivotal principle of Klein Technique™, the concept of moving from our deepest structural and energetic tissue, the bone, the connections at the level of the bones and how the body coordinates to improve movement and reduce and heal injuries.

Through an interweaving of theory and practice we will work on the muscles of deep postural support: the psoas, the hamstrings, the pelvic floor muscles, and the external rotators. We will work with a body-felt understanding of how these muscles bring the bones into alignment, a place of connectedness, which leads to true power and efficiency of movement. Klein Technique™ is a process-oriented practice of great value to people of all proficiency levels, dancers, and non-dancers alike. Our goal is to teach movement from the individual perspective of internal knowing and understanding. Students of all levels of practice in Klein Technique™ will gain insight into their movement patterns and habits and gain a greater internal understanding of their bodies.

All are welcome. Come! Breathe, Stretch, and Connect with us!!”

/ Susan Klein

General Information

Dates: September 26th-30th 2022
Schedule: From 12:00 to 17:00
Venue: Estúdios Vitor Córdon, Lisbon, PORTUGAL – more info here
Recipients: Professionals, students, and people with previous experience in movement, dance and/or theater.
Maximum number of participants: 25

Covid-19 Notice

It will be necessary to do a rapid antigen test, provided by Forum Dança, only on the first day of the workshop.

Registration

Participation Fee

Pre-registration is made through a form available on our site and will be validated after receipt of proof of payment, which should be sent to our email.

Procedure

1. Make your pre-registration online in the form indicated for this purpose.
2. Wait for our email with payment instructions.
3. Proceed with the payment of your registration, as indicated in the email sent.
4. Send us the proof of payment to our email.
5. Your registration will only be validated after we receive your proof of payment.

• Early-Bird, until July 30 / 15 29 of August: 300,00 €
• Normal price, after July 30 / 15 29 of August: 330,00 €
• 10% discount for:
  • Students and former students of Forum Dança’s long-term courses (PACAP / CGPAE / PEPCC / etc.).
  • Participants of the Stretch and Placement – Klein Technique™ sessions led by Gisela Dória currently taking place in Forum Dança.

Bios

Registration form