Butoh: Into the Depth

Vangeline Theater/New York Butoh Institute are excited to announce a five-week course, Butoh: Into the Depth, set for July 8 through 31, 2026. The program culminates with a performance on July 31 at 126 10th Street, Suite 207, Brooklyn, NY. Scholarship participants pay as little as $150 for the program, with a sliding scale up to $500. Sign up by June 25, 2026 by emailing [email protected]. Class is limited to 20 students. For more information, visit here.

Learn to meditate through movement, tapping into subtle body systems and the unconscious. Butoh, the dance of darkness, is a transformative practice from Japan being taught in Brooklyn by renowned teacher Vangeline. Open to dancers and non-dancers alike.

Butoh, the dance of darkness, is an avant-garde dance form that emerged in Japan in the 1950s. The form resists definition, but is often characterized by meditative movement that is variously informed by sensation, emotion, play, micromovement, surrealist techniques, the grotesque, and – above all – authenticity.



This exploration will include space for conversation after each session and a final show for students to perform.

Class Schedule

6pm-9pm with one break

Wednesday Dates:

July 8, July 15, July 22, July 29

July 31st Performance (Friday)

Vangeline is a New York-based teacher, choreographer, and dancer specializing in Japanese Butoh. She is the artistic director of Vangeline Theater / New York Butoh Institute and is widely recognized for her rigorous, research-driven approach to Butoh and for expanding the form’s relevance in the 21st century. Her work actively champions diversity and inclusion, creating space for historically underrepresented voices while carrying forward the legacy of Butoh through contemporary research, activism, and performance.

Through her all-female dance company, Vangeline creates socially engaged, innovative choreographic works that unite Butoh with activism. She is the founder of the New York Butoh Institute Festival, dedicated to uplifting women in Butoh, and Queer Butoh, a festival centering LGBTQ+ voices within the form. She is also the visionary behind the Dream a Dream Project, an award-winning program now in its 18th year that brings Butoh into correctional facilities across New York State.

At the heart of Vangeline’s philosophy is the belief that Butoh can serve as a tool for both personal and collective transformation. Her work reflects a deep commitment to integrating the full spectrum of human experience—beauty and darkness alike—while reintegrating voices historically marginalized by society.

Vangeline’s choreography has been presented internationally in Chile, Germany, Italy, France, Finland, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan. She is the recipient of a 2026 National Endowment for the Arts Dance Award for her upcoming work Unforgotten: Butoh for 9/11, and a 2022 National Endowment for the Arts Dance Award for The Slowest Wave, a groundbreaking project exploring the intersection of Butoh and neuroscience. Additional honors include a 2022–2023 Gibney Dance in Process Residency, a 2018 NYFA/NYSCA Fellowship in Choreography for Elsewhere, the 2015 Gibney Dance Social Action Award, and the 2019 Janet Arnold Award from the Society of Antiquaries of London. She was recently awarded a prestigious fellowship at Wadham College, University of Oxford, for the 2026–2027 academic year.

Her work has been widely acclaimed both nationally and internationally, with critics praising its power, precision, and emotional resonance. Reviews have appeared in publications including The New York Times (“captivating”) and The Los Angeles Times (“moves with the clockwork deliberation of a practiced Japanese Butoh artist”), to name just a few.

Widely regarded as an authority in her field, Vangeline has taught at Princeton University (Princeton Atelier), Cornell University, NYU, Brooklyn College, CUNY, Sarah Lawrence College, and Duke University. Her work extends into film, including a starring role opposite James Franco and Winona Ryder in Jay Anania’s feature film The Letter (Lionsgate, 2012). She has also been commissioned by Grammy Award–winning artists Esperanza Spalding, Skrillex, and David J. (Bauhaus).

Vangeline is also the author of the critically acclaimed book Butoh: Cradling Empty Space, which examines the relationship between Butoh and neuroscience. She led the first-ever scientific study measuring the effects of Butoh on the brain (The Slowest Wave). Her work has been featured on CNN’s Great Big Story (“Learning to Dance with Your Demons”), the BBC’s Deeply Human podcast with Dessa, and in her own podcast, Butoh Musing with Vangeline.

Her new piece MAN WOMAN, in collaboration with Machine Dazzle and Ray Barragan Sweeten premiered at the La MaMa Moves Festival (April 18–19, 2026) and will be presented at the Schwarzman Centre, University of Oxford (September 16, 2026).

https://www.vangeline.com

VANGELINE THEATER/ NEW YORK BUTOH INSTITUTE aims to preserve the legacy and integrity of Japanese Butoh while carrying the art form into the future, with a special emphasis on education, social justice, research, and archiving. Vangeline Theater programs are supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council, and the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. www.vangeline.com

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