Master Class with KOTA YAMAZAKI

This workshop kicks off with vocal techniques based on the Japanese idea of kotodama—the belief that words carry spiritual power—while combining voice and movement at the same time. We’ll explore different styles of vocalization, and some, like those used in Noh and Kabuki, can create really intense physical sensations. At the core of these practices are basic positions drawn from ancient martial arts, which we’ll then explore through improvised movement. After that, we’ll move into Yamasaki’s subtle movement phrases.

What makes this class unique is how it flows between embodiment and disembodiment, always exploring what new possibilities can emerge when we let go of fixed ways of being in the body.

Sunday June 8, 8:45am-11:15am

Fee: $40 VENMO: @naoyuki-oguri / ZELLE: bodyweather@gmail.com

Registration: bodyweather@gmail.com

Born in Niigata, Japan, Kota Yamazaki (Choreographer) was first introduced to butoh under the teaching of Akira Kasai at the age of 18. Yamazaki is a recipient of the Bessie Award of 2007, Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grants to Artists award of 2013, NYFA Fellowship of 2016, and Guggenheim Fellowship of 2018.Since 2019, Yamazaki has been a guest faculty member at Bennington College.in 2024, Yamazaki created a new piece “Thin paper, autonomous synapses, nomads, Tokyo(ing)” for Footnote NZ Dance company, which toured Japan and NZ (www.kotayamazaki.com)