The Japanese dance form ankoku butoh cannot be explained but must be experienced. Meaning "dance of utter darkness", this avant-garde style was a critical artistic response to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the post war Japan. It is difficult to categorize Butoh as a specific art form. For some it is not dance at all, but a strange kind of theatre.

First introduced by Tatsumi Hijikata, this art form combines the elements of traditional Japanese theatre, with expressive dance and mime. Japanese characters can inlcude white painted bodies, slow movements and contorted postures. Like expressive dance, it breaks with the established rules of dance and leaves much room for improvisation. Butoh connects the conscious with the unconscious; the movements are developed from within the body and appear as personal interactions between the outer and inner world. The dancer becomes someone or something else. It is a different concept of dance. “Butoh is the search for a very ancient form of art where ritual and artistic creation is seamless; poetry is song, song is incantation and movement is dance”. (Grotowski) Butoh performer and founder of GooSayTen, Itto Morita, is also a professor of Clinical Psychology at the Sapporo Gakuin University in Japan. As the director of the Japanese Dance Therapy Association his performance and scholarly work is on the cutting edge of a new frontier in holistic health that combines therapeutic psychology, performing arts and mind-body theories. Professor Morita will conduct a Butoh Lecture Demonstration on November 9th at 3:30PM in the Main Dance Studio, Hampshire College. The event is free and open to the public but call in registration is required as seating is limited. To register please call the Asian Arts and Culture Program at (413) 577-2486.

GooSayTen will present a premier of their new work titled, “To the White, To the Sky” at Bowker Auditorium on Thursday, November 9 at 8pm.

This performance is presented in collaboration with the Japan Society of Boston and the Five College Dance Department.

Over the past five years, more than 100 Somali refugee families have been resettled in the city of Springfield and the surrounding areas. Median household income in Springfield is barely half the state average, and unemployment is 25 percent higher than the rest of Western Massachusetts. Women are particularly limited in mobility, educational access and professional choices.

Through a community-based arts process, The Somali Women’s Project creates new approaches to self-directed economic development. The Somali women meet weekly for English-language training, craftwork exchange among the women and local artisans, career-development workshops, and community-based performance workshops. Performance workshops are led by three professional artists of color: playwright/ performance artist Robbie McCauley, dancer/choreographer Wanjiru Kamuyu, and artist/musician Terry Jenoure. This multi-year, collective process rooted in storytelling, oral history, visual and craft-based arts, song and movement will lead to the creation of a collaborative, multidisciplinary theater production presented by New WORLD Theater. Performances will be exciting cultural, aesthetic, educational and promotional events, raising awareness in the region and providing publicity and direct-sales opportunities for women’s micro-businesses. Award-winning filmmaker Julie Akeret will chronicle the project activities and create a new documentary on the Somali refugee story.

On Nov. 18, enjoy Somali music, dancing, and a sneak-preview of performances to come!! Learn about the project, meet participants, enjoy great food, and buy hand-made crafts to support the community! The festival will be help from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm.Panache Banquet Hall, 827 State Street, Springfield, MA. $5-suggested donation at the door.

Supported in part by the John & Abigail Adams Arts Program of the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts, The Somali Women’s Project is a collaboration among several local partner organizations: New WORLD Theater, the Fund for Women Artists, the International Language Institute, the Center for Popular Economics, the Massachusetts Career Development Institute. Weekly meetings are hosted by Springfield’s Community Music School.

Sean Jones, the 28-year old lead trumpet player at Jazz at Lincoln Center, touched hundreds of lives with his inspirational music, teaching, and life stories during the 9th Annual Billy Taylor Jazz Residency. While on campus, Sean taught jazz theory and improvisation, jazz arranging and composition, and held a master class with the UMass Jazz Ensembles. In addition, Sean worked with 70 students in the wind and jazz ensembles and chorale at Amherst Regional High School where he played for them, talked about setting goals and how to practice and held a master class. He also was part of the celebration of the 20th anniversary of The Lively Arts with guest lecturer Dr. Billy Taylor, a general education course based on Fine Arts Center programming that has reached 8,500 students. The lecture culminated in the legendary Dr. Taylor performing with the Sean Jones, a thrilling moment for all involved, but especially for the musicians who had never played together and were clearly energized by the experience.

The highlight of the residency was the public performance with his quartet, exquisite music that brought the audience to its feet for a standing ovation at intermission. Sean gave thanks to the important work done by “giants” before him such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and Dr. Billy Taylor to make possible his successes today. It was a moving tribute to Dr. Taylor who had chosen to stay an extra day to hear Sean’s performance. It was a magical evening.

Residency activities such as these are made possible through the generosity not only of donors to the Billy Taylor Endowment for Jazz Residencies, but also concert sponsors such as Yale Genton, Fathers & Sons, and WFCR. Additionally, donations to the Fine Arts Center annual fund provided revenue to help fund artist educational community residencies.