Thern Anderson (attended 8 weeks workshop in winter 2010) Every class I was in had a timeless quality that was one of the things that made it possible to leave my daily consciousness. While a three hour class on a Thursday after a week of work felt daunting at times, I think it is a good thing because when I felt too tired, I either surrendered to fatigue as I pushed through it and sometimes new movements came up. It was usually those times when new movements came out of me. Several of those unlikely movements for me kept returning a number of times and I still remember them, although they do not get to have a name. I was most engaged in the classes in which we used our voices and stayed with it a long time. Also the eyes' classes - very challenging physically to move the eyes so much, but I found that I could open my body (eyes) and mind to "see" in many more ways. The ash figures were almost always a very deep experiences for me; it felt like walking in, out and through many dimensions I have never been in before, particularly feeling the fragile space between life and death and what one may encounter there. Anyway, great experience. I like that you were always moving with us and not a teacher/observer. It made it truly a communally creative experience. Stacy Lee King (attended 8 weeks workshop in winter 2010) I found joy and encouragement in Subbody Butoh as a way to allow meditative
quality into my body and into my physical theatre work. Expert leadership was
also neutral enough to not engage too much conscious thought. I experienced
freedom in releasing my own individual and habitual movements as we explored and
opened our usually hidden joints and unnoticed subconscious impulses. In this
openness we are able to act together beyond personalities or conceptual form. Lois Libby Jester (attended 8 weeks workshop in fall 2009) I attended the Subbody Butoh workshop this fall and found the experiencing a
very deep and meaningful one. Through the exploration of body, sound, movement
I had a deep and profound experience each time I attended a class. It is a way
of going deep into our subconscious and connecting with the primal energies of
our evolutionary process. Kats is an exceptional guide in taking us to the
depths where we can open ourselves, let go, and let the creative force flow
through. Each person has their own unique experience and there is a connection between the individuals in the group that we don't often reach as we go through the daily routines in our lives. Gregory Parks (attended 8 weeks workshop in summer 2009) At first, I was only partially sure of what the workshop involved. I wouldn't say the subbody butoh work was therapeutic for me, but I always felt more loose, more open, and more relaxed after each session. I found myself being interested by what came out of me and I found myself able to observe without judging. I really enjoyed the improvisational aspect of this work and hope to be able to continue exploring subbody butoh, using it to discover the limits and limitlessness of my body. Judith Howard (attended 8 weeks workshop in summer 2009) In Kats's Subbody Butoh workshop I enjoyed the combination of learning
actual physical techniques and the freedom and joy of risk-taking through
imaginative impulses. My own teaching of Modern Dance has been influenced by
learning these skills.
Kats, as a generous and accepting guide, facilitates an atmosphere of meditative depth, rigorous skill-building and freedom of imagination. It is a bonus that he participates with the class in all the explorations. We were led into a deep awareness of the body as a catapult into the
imagination. I am still resonating with the multi images physicalized from my
"subbody" and the enchanted, surprising, "co-body" improvisations with fellow
"creatures". Discovering worlds within worlds through the body!
I am changed by the subbody work. One night I became a rose. Without
pretense, this authentic state was ignited by the meditative state of breathing
from all the cells and feeling the nervous system. Without logic my body leapt
from there into a transformation. I can still access this powerful and tender
rose state. One of the many qualities encountered in the limitless
sub-body! Julie Mueller (attended 8 weeks workshop in spring 2008 and summer 2009) The workshop was a rich opportunity to explore non-traditional approaches
to moving the body.
Developing new vocabulary by crossing the bridge between the physical and
non-physical bodies of the participants we became more skilled in identifying authentic
expression of subtle variations of emotion/energy. And, although Butoh frequently reveals darker aspects of the human
soul, for me personally, this particular series of sessions had an unanticipated
sense of ecstatic joy, and whimsical humor.
Kats functions both as a guide and a colleague in this process, without
allowing the underlying structure of each evening to limit creative expression of various possibilites. Risk-taking is not
simply allowed, but encouraged.
The vocalizations are intrinsic to building relationship/ensemble between
the participants as the sounds resonate with and from the movements.
Half way through the final evening, a red tailed hawk appeared in my
awareness and dominated my experience for the remainder of the evening.
This is the second series I have had the pleasure of attending, and I look
forward to the next, coming up in October and November. Pam Guthrie (attended 8 weeks workshop in spring 2009) Working with Kats and Subbody Butoh has been a remarkable, transformative experience. Before the Subbody Butoh workshop I had never heard of this style of movement. I signed up for the workshop because I was looking for a means of spiritual exploration that I hadn’t tried before and was looking for something physical. Kats’ invitation was worded in such a way that I knew I needed this experience. Butoh is the most unusual dance style I’ve learned, having studied ballet, folk, ballroom and bellydance. I am used to having a lot of rules to follow, steps to execute and music, or at least percussion, as something to which my steps should be fitted. For me, a person expressing my spiritual place, Butoh is as much like prayer as anything; prayer for one’s self; prayer for one’s friend. Kats creates an environment where he is firmly in control, but extremely gentle and permissive. He is able to provide instruction with the fewest words possible, and yet is quite clear. Most importantly, he creates and holds a space of innocence and curiosity wherein we can move as we need to in order to express what we discover. He is generous with his wisdom and spirit, thereby making it easy for each of us to explore in our own way, for our individual purpose. If you are seeking a form of spiritual expression that goes deeper than regular meditation, if you are looking for ways to explore your most hidden self, if you are looking for a form of dance expression that you’ve never tried, you must take this workshop. |    |