Butoh Workshop in Pai (Thailand), January20-22 with Vir Torres

Name: Butoh Workshop in Pai (Thailand), January20-22 with Vir Torres
Start: 2026-01-20T10:00:00+07:00
End: 2026-01-22T13:30:00+07:00
Location: Pai Northern Thailand

Schedule

Tue, 20 Jan, 2026 at 10:00 am to Thu, 22 Jan, 2026 at 01:30 pm

UTC+07:00

Location

Pai Northern Thailand | Chiang Mai, CM

Butoh dance, from the Japanese Butō 舞踏, is composed of Bu 舞 (referring to dance itself, as something that rises, connected to the invisible, to the world of form) and Tō 踏 (referring to stepping, the act of placing the foot on the ground, in relation to gravity and descent). Butoh is a dance that connects the worlds above and below simultaneously, inhabiting the in-between (Ma 間).
It does not seek elevation, but insists on grounding.
In Butoh, we understand the body as a channel and a passage—between above and below. This understanding becomes especially relevant for us as traveling bodies moving through Asian territories, where mobility, artistic practice, and cultural exchange are entangled with ongoing forms of neocolonialism. Our presence is never neutral. The way we move, occupy space, and create is always political.
Through practices such as Noguchi Taiso, medimotion, organic movement, and other psychosomatic approaches, we work to empty the body—to clear this channel of imposed forms and egoic identities -so that something larger than the individual self can move through us.
Butoh asks us to descend into the underground, to dig into our roots. This descent cannot be separated from the environment we inhabit. Between earth and sky, right here. Are we merely passing over the surface of this land, taking space, consuming culture—or are we willing to enter into relationship with the intelligent ecosystem that surrounds us? Butoh can function as a decolonial tool: slowing down the body and shifting from ownership toward interconnection.
In this three-day workshop, we will explore Butoh as a psychosomatic and performative practice that supports this process of descent and listening. Sessions will combine studio work and nature-based practices, inviting the body to step deeply into the ground while remaining open to what moves through it.
Schedule:
January 20 - 22 from 10h to 13:30h
Venue and price:
Ask personally for details
*For more information contact: [email protected]

Facilitated by Vir Torres
Vir Torres is a nomadic independent artist, dancer, and somatic researcher. She regularly travels to Asia and Europe for artistic projects. Her background spans Flamenco and Spanish classical dance, evolving into Butoh, improvisation, and somatic practices. This journey reflects her ongoing pursuit of originality and authenticity in expression.She has created and performed solo pieces such as Amatista, Buenos Aires (Madrid, 2021), Chinamasta, and Autumn Roses (Madrid, 2023), touring internationally in 2024 (France and Thailand). As a performer, Virginia collaborated with Mamu DanceTheatre under the direction of renowned Butoh artist Tadashi Endo in 2022, participating in “From a whisper to cry” in Germany. In 2024, she joined the production BoB (Beauty of Butoh) directed by Marlene Jobstl in Portugal. Her latest creation, Borboleta do Céu e da Terra, was developed as part of a Residency Program in collaboration with Shinehouse Theatre in Taipei, Taiwan and presented at “Want to Dance” Festival, April 2025. Her last base was Quinta Ten Chi (Portugal) whereshe co-organizes events on Butoh, CI and somatic research.