Wherever I am, the world comes after me.
It offers me its busyness. It does not believe that I do not want it.
Now I understand why the old poets of China went so far
and high into the mountains, then crept into the pale mist.
"The Old Poets of China" by Mary Oliver

Punla at Binhi: Butoh Workshop Series | An Onsite Workshop-Performance

Details

The UP Asian Center is co-hosting the Trans-Pacific Sustainability Dialogue 2025 on 10 November 2025 at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel and 11 November 2025 at the GT-Toyota Asian Center Auditorium, 9 AM - 5 PM, PHT (Manila Time). Both days of the forum are FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. Pre-registration is recommended due to limited available slots. Food and refreshments will be provided. 

   

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP

This is a Butoh-informed workshop series exploring postcolonial embodiment and cultural resonance, using the facilitator’s Filipino context of Butoh through integrating various motivations and movement exercises centering on Kapwa (the shared self; the self in the other). The workshop will explore the valuable Filipino concepts and sensibilities about walang malay (unconscious body/ self) and pakikiramdaman (sensory and perceptive awareness).

This Manila leg  of the workshop focuses on embodied inquiry and creative process: how Butoh becomes a space for memory, transformation, and post-colonial reflection. Please note: this workshop is NOT an instructional and codified teaching of a dance "form" or technique, or a choreography class. It intends to find resonance between Butoh and Filipino embodied experience, and aims for sharing of a Butoh-informed process and embodied inquiry drawn from years of personal study and immersion in Butoh practice.

GUIDELINES FOR THE PARTICIPANTS

BEFORE attending the butoh workshop

      • Wear loose and comfortable clothes (NO denim or jeans, shorts, sando/ spaghetti blouse, etc.) 
      • The workshop encourages a bare feet and/or wearing of socks only (no shoes or any footwear)
      • Bring notebook/ journal paper and pen for notes, questions and reflections
      • Bring your own tumbler and water
      • Arrive at least 20 minutes before the workshop event, the program will start on time.

DURING the workshop

      • Come with a spirit of open-mindedness, curiosity and respect.
      • Movement exercises are mostly improvisational and exploratory, so we encourage the participants to use their imagination and curiosity with their bodies.
      • Through sound, images and prompts, Butoh workshops require the participants to move and physicalize their movement exploration and sensibility.
      • If there is any discomfort during the workshop and/or performance, participants are encouraged to step aside and ground themselves through deep breaths and touching their arm or hands.

AFTER the workshop

      • Share with us your experience and reflections through the feedback form and in your social media accounts. Tag us on our social media pages!
      • Let this experience be a seed of inspiration for future projects and creations whether in performance or others.
      • Follow our social media pages for updates on the next events re: Asia Butoh Gathering 2026

ABOUT THE ORGANIZERS

This project is organized by the UP Asian Center in partnership with the Kapwa Movement, the Goethe Institut Philippinen through the Performance Ecologies platform.