New York Butoh Festival
LEIMAY presented and produced four editions of the N.Y. Butoh Festival. Over 100 artists from Japan, Sweden, Germany, France, Colombia, and the U.S. were presented; 8,000 people attended various sold-out events. The first festival in New York was dedicated solely to the emerging international form called Butoh, which originated in post-World War II Japan and has grown into a worldwide movement. This festival celebrated the global evolution of this form and supported both emerging artists and established masters. The New York Butoh Festival hosted international and national artists in a series of performances and workshops at various venues in Manhattan and Brooklyn.
The New York Butoh Festival brought many Japanese artists to New York and the United States for the first time to teach and perform. Masters like Yoshito Ohno, Akira Kasai, Ko Murobushi, Yukio Waguri, Masaki Iwana, and Yumiko Yoshioka were among the influential artists that made this a global festival and a hub for the continued international development of Butoh.
“A riveting performer of great skill and craft, Koga embodies the spirit of protest against all the destructive forces on earth.” – Sima Belmar, San Francisco Bay Guardian, on Love is Shock (2003) by Shinichi Koga
“With a prizefighter’s grace, he darted from spot to spot, collapsing backward onto the stage only to spring up in a mercuric flash.” – Gia Kourlas, The New York Times, on Quick Silver (2007) by Ko Murobushi
“…a beautiful compilation of scenes and bodies… melt into a stunning and timeless group tableau.” – Erika Eichelberger, The Brooklyn Rail, on Furnace (2009) by LEIMAY and Ko Murobushi
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