Julie in Japan – Julie Becton Gillum and Asheville Butoh Collective

Last Week in Japan

Julie — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 03:35:55 +0000

This is officially my last week in Japan. When I first arrived this seemed like a very foreign place. Now that I have been here for a while and contemplating a return to the good ole US of A, Japan feel like home and the US seems like some alien world full of ghosts and …

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Sankai Juku Workshop

Julie — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 07:23:33 +0000

Sankai Juku is known for their visually stunning, ritualistic movement style, sensually performed by only men. The workshop was taught by director Semimaru, who was the original member of the company whose work is choreographed by Amagatsu. Members of the company took class with us and performed with us during the final performance at the …

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Kyogen Workshop

Julie — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 07:09:08 +0000

I took a 10-day workshop in Kyogen, the 700-year-old comedy form of Noh theatre taught by 8 different Kyogen actors, including Manzo Nomura IX, who is a Living National Treasure. The form blends ancient techniques of Chinese and Japanese theatre. There is no book for teaching Noh and Kyogen. It is handed down by experienced …

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Dairakudakan Workshop

Julie — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 01:36:14 +0000

The Dairakudakan workshop took place in Hakuba in northern Honshu where the ’97 Olympic skiing took place. The scenery was stunning as you can see from the photo taken from the front of our hostel. The first 4 days of the workshop were interesting and physically challenging. We worked from 8 til noon, 2 – …

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Kyoto Sightseeing

Julie — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 02:33:54 +0000

If Tokyo is the beating heart of Japan then Kyoto is the soul. It is lush green gardens, serene temples and shrines and a much slower paced life style. My two favorite places were Ryoangi zen garden and Sanjusangendo temple. Ryoangi is a world heritage site, a sand garden with 15 perfectly placed stones. It …

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New Digs

Julie — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 15:24:16 +0000

I have found a new place to stay. Ginger Krebs, my friend from Chicago who is also here dancing and checking out Japanese culture is rooming with me. We are staying in the home of Kazuko Asaba, a lovely, new-age, world-travelled artist. I feel right at home; it’s just like Asheville and only a 10-minute walk to …

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Meeting Kazuo Ohno & Dinner With Yoshito

Julie — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 01:06:23 +0000

On Saturday night after class I was fortunate to visit Kazuo Ohno in his bed. He woke up when we came into his room, then dozed, then woke again while we were there. I held his beautiful hands and in my excitement blurted out many silly things . . . “honor to meet you. . …

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Yoshito Ohno

Julie — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 04:38:54 +0000

After teaching class, Yoshito, son of butoh founder Kazuo Ohno, often dances with a puppet of Kazuo, to the music of Elvis. It is really a treat! On Saturday night we danced a requiem for Pina Bausch, avant garde German choreographer and dear friend of the Ohnos, who died on Friday June 26. We danced …

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A Visit to Old Edo

Julie — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 04:02:25 +0000

This district was one of the few in Tokyo to escape most of the destruction of the 1923 earthquake and WWII bombing. There are many old wooden houses, shops and temples. In addition, there is a lovely old cemetery and many Japanese style mansions. I had a lovely time getting lost in the warren of …

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Japanese Toilets

Julie — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 03:47:14 +0000

This may not be appropriate but who am I if not inappropriate. I have experienced two types of toilets while here–the washiki and the washlet. The washiki is the traditional Japanese squat type toilet, named for the position one assumes to use it, squatting down facing the hooded end of a usually porcelain trough. The …

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