Odd Hours (ButohOUT! 2021 New Ab/Normal)

ButohOUT! 2021

New Ab/Normal invites audiences to celebrate the surreal, the absurd and the diverse in a contemporary Australian, post-pandemic time. Through the anarchic form of Butoh, the workshops and performances question what is normal and explore the paradoxical nuance that an abnormality can become ‘normal’.

Led by the Australian-Japanese ‘high priestess’ of Butoh, Yumi Umiumare, ButohOUT! encompasses dance/physical, theatre, vocal, visual, and aural arts. Yumi is joined by Creative Producer Takashi Takiguchi; Sound Designers Ai Yamamoto and Dan West; Vocal Creator Emma Bathgate; Visual Arts/Set Designer Jacqui Stockdale; and Forum/Writing leader Helen Smith.

Embracing Butoh’s inclusive ethos, New Ab/Normal amplifies diverse voices in contemporary dance/theatre with the experienced creative team leading performers of all levels and abilities. The festival involves a series of workshops exploring what makes you ‘move’ physically, mentally and spiritually. Participants from these workshops will take part in the final performance of the festival, Odd Hours, at Abbotsford Convent from May 20-23.