Butoh, a dance celebrating « the permanent transformation of a body that has emptied itself » (Hijikata and Ohno)

Butoh, a Japanese body art form, emerged in the 1950s in the studios of Tatsumi Hijikata and Kazuo Ohno. It is considered not only as a dance, but also as an exploration of the human soul, an act of self-transformation, and initially an artistic revolt in reaction to the just-concluded Second World War. Its development was influenced by European avant-garde movements (surrealism, impressionism), and by a rejection of traditional Japanese dance forms in a Japan undergoing deep transformations. Every gesture and expression carries an intense emotional significance, supported by a striking aesthetic - white makeup, slow movements -, which have become the signatures of buto, in the absence of strict codification, leaving dancers free to interpret.

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Graham Technique

"The body is trained, disciplined, honored and, when the time comes, trusted. Movement becomes clean, precise, eloquent, truthful. Movement never lies" (Graham, 2004)

Developed by Martha Graham, a pioneering American dancer and choreographer, this modern dance method is based on the principles of contraction and release of the body. The use of breath enables the body to be fully felt and used in dance.

The session is generally divided into three phases: on the floor, standing and through space. Graham enables dancers, or more broadly anyone with a passion for dance, to explore deep emotions.

Lorenzo Pagano

Lorenzo Pagano is an internationally award-winning contemporary performer whose career has spanned across Concert Dance, Theatre and Opera. He is currently performing with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet in the productions Ainadamar (Deborah Colker) and Anthony and Cleopatra (Annie-B Parson).

He started his career by joining the Martha Graham Dance Company in 2012 and becoming a Guest Artist and Assistant Rehearsal Director in 2023. He has embodied the most iconic male roles of the repertory and originated starring roles for new works by Lucinda Childs, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Nacho Duato, Andonis Foniadakis, Pontus Lidberg, Hofesh Shechter, Pam Tanowitz among others.

In 2024, Pagano was part of the original cast of the musical GATSBY choreographed by Sonya Tayeh, directed by Rachel Chavkin with music by Florence Welch and Thomas Bartlett.

He has been a Guest Artist for the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company, La Compañia Nacional de Danza de Costa Rica and he is part of Unveiling choreographed by Sonya Tayeh with music by Moses Sumney. 

He has danced with Paris Opéra former Étoile and Artistic Director Aurélie Dupont in Martha Graham’s Lament and was appointed Assistant Choreographer for the Holiday Event in collaboration with Christian Dior and Martha Graham Company at Sack’s NYC in 2023.

Mr Pagano was honored with the Italian International Dance Award as “Male Rising Star” in 2016 and the Premio Nazionale La Sfera d’Oro in  2022. 

Hélène Barrier

(bio to come)