Butoh is an image-based movement exploration. It asks what can a body do and what is a body? It draws us to the question of who we really are?

Each class will begin with a Noguchi gymnastic-based mind-body workout, followed by image explorations, breathing energy exercises, and then choreographic structures. The 10 weeks will culminate in a student recital.

Mariko Endo Reynolds is a professional Japanese Butoh Dancer who trained in Tokyo with Akira Kasai, one of the co-founders of the Butoh movement. She has also toured Japan and the United States as a principal dancer in one of Japan’s representative Butoh companies, Dairakudakan. In addition to her foundation of dance, she has studied anthropology and energy healing, all which influence her approach to dance as a sculpture of consciousness. Since moving to NYC, Mariko has been involved in a variety of projects and has been teaching Butoh to dancers and actors who are looking to strengthen their presence on stage. She has also focused on developing teaching and healing programs for children with special needs. Mariko is working with legendary sound artist Liz Phillips, one of the first artists to make interactive sound sculpture and is also dancing in Tanya Calamoneri's Company SoGoNo. (photo of Mariko Endo Reynolds by Juergen Specht)

Under the artistic direction of Tanya Calamoneri, Company SoGoNo employs an innovative vocabulary that draws from Japanese Butoh dance, Ruth Zaporah’s Action Theater, and contemporary dance-theater. Movement ranges from wild and boldly expressive to quiet and intricate. The characters are typically archetypal, referencing fairytales and dream symbolism. The mood of the work is often surreal and darkly humorous.

Since 2003, Company SoGoNo has presented performances at Irondale Center, Brooklyn Museum, Triskelion, 3LD Art & Technology Center, Ontological Hysteric Theater’s Incubator, Culture Project’s Women Center Stage Festival, Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival, HERE Arts, CRS, CAVE Artspace’s NY International Butoh Festival, Movement Research at DTW, Links Hall in Chicago, Velocity Dance in Seattle, and Urban Guild in Kyoto, among many others.  SoGoNo has received funding from NYFA BUILD, NYSCA’s New Theater Advancement Program, American Music Center Live Music for Dance, Puffin Foundation, Independence Community Foundation, and others. The New York Innovative Theater Awards honored Company SoGoNo with five nominations for the 2007 production of Art of Memory, including Best Ensemble, Best Performance, Best Sound Design, Best Costumes, and winner in the category of Best Set.  SoGoNo is on the Boutique Roster of Jodi Kaplan & Associates Booking Dance. (photo by Matthew Heller)

Please visit www.sogono.org for videos, photos, and show information.