BUTOH DANCE THEATRE
ANKOKU BUTOH is a form of Japanese dance theatre that literally means "Dance of Utter Darkness". "Today, Butoh encompasses a range of styles, from the grotesque to the austere, and from the erotic to the comic. It is frequently regarded as surreal and androgynous, and focuses on primal expressions of the human condition rather than physical beauty." William Andrews.
FLORENCE POULAIN dances Butoh since 2004, she leads community practices and performances and participates in festivals accross the country. She has received grants from NYC Cultural Affairs, Staten Island Council for the Arts and New York State to share and offer works to the public. Deep Tanks Butoh has collaborated with the Stapleton Senior Center SINY, Staten Island Science Museum SINY, Tibetan Museum SINY, Alice Austen Photography Museum SINY, and other Creative groups such as Staten Island OutLoud & Living Through Movement. Deep Tanks Butoh collaborates with musicians sharing live and recorded soundtracks.
SOLOS & DUOS
9.11 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB8NRq0qfPc Solo Florence Poulain. Deep Tanks, NY. 09.11.2010
Xylo Gogo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8SD_ksDWbEXylo Duo Alethea Vasilas & Florence Poulain. Deep Tanks, NY. 04.09.2011
Looking Back https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qErK3L4X_6M Duo Keiko Hashimoto & Florence Poulain. Deep Tanks, NY. 12.08.2012
Untranslatable https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEFQ9CDg5wY Solo Florence Poulain.
Containers: A Brassiere Tale https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6266fMEziwg Solo Florence Poulain. Woman’s Day. Deep Tanks, NY. 04.11.2014
Rock the cradle Cradle the rock https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GvxcXYame4 Solo Florence Poulain. Alice Austen Museum, SI.6/21/14
L.O.V.E. Duo: Jayoung Young & Florence Poulain. Staten Island Science Museum. 02/14/2015
Bouncing Betties https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EXbOxQ0edM&list=PLaF06lf_ThvmqqYDl7OZh6Ej1GF2n8yV8&index=17&t=0s Solo. Florence Poulain. Coney Island, NY. 04/2019
DEEP TANKS BUTOH ENSEMBLE
Moth Ball (Excerpt) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlMpoPquE3I 07/2013
Run-A-Way https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJY463HlJ8M Ensemble. Art Lab, Snug Harbor Cultural Center, SINY. 01/11/2014
OTHER
Coney Island Ritual Cabaret Festival. NY. March 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQcCBwO78Sg Diego Pinon Ensemble. 04/2017
More group videos to come soon.
ADDITIONAL LISTING ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCES
SPARC, Sept. 2012. NYC Grant with the Stapleton Senior Center & DT Block Party.
Fembot, May 2013. NYS Encore Grant in collaboration with LGBTQ Center.
Moth Ball, July 2013. SI Science Museum Court Yard.
Dreams: Edgar Poe, Sept. 2013. Day de Dada & SI Outloud. Unitarian Church Gardens.
Vegetables, Nov 2013. Green Market Vegetables explorations. St George Lot.
SI Outloud Poetry of Shakespeare and Tibetan Lama. April 2014. Tibetan Museum, Staten Island, NY.
A Walk - April 2014. St George Festival, Thompkins Square, SINY.
My Name is., March 2014. Deep Tanks Butoh Swan Day. SINY.
Moth Ball, June 2014. Lumen Performance Arts Festival. Council for the Arts Grant.
Pods, October 2014. Halloween, Frontier without Borders Fundraiser. Unitarian Church.
Home, March 2015. Swan Day.
Alive, June 2015. Lumen Performance Arts Festival.
Animals, June 2015. Lumen Performance Arts Festival.
Paper, June 2015. Lumen Performance Arts Festival & guests with Living through Movement.
Moth Evolution, July 2015. Duo: Bob Lyness & Florence Poulain. Greenbelt Park with SI Museum.
Alive Again, July 2015. Staten Island Outloud. Freud and Dreams. Clay Pit Park.
THE DEEP TANKS BUTOH ENSEMBLE has danced in festivals, museums, block parties & green market. Here is a list of the performances taking place in the community on Staten Island, NY from 2010 through 2015.
Performers: Meliande Echanique, Esperanza Santiago, Lys Obsidian, Michael Stipkala, Margaret Chase, Jayoung Yoon, Bob Lyness, Ann Marie Akash, Annette Mae, Keiko Hashimoto, Sane Simoniello, Johnson Mcgee, Eric Alter, Ollie Oliver, Anjoli Chadha, Mia Yang, Ian Yang, Jessica Yang, Jesaca Soubi Lin, Joaquin Padilla, Florence Poulain aka Florkhis, Tammy Harwood.
Composers, Musicians, Set Builder & Narrators: Malarts, Kevin Norton, Bones, Vegas Berlin, Brandon Perdomo, John W. Snyder, Nani Ferrera-Mathews, Staten Island Outloud, Diane Matyas, Pat DeSicco, Mike Caban, George Alvarez, Tanya Acevedo, Susan Sinclair, Riley Johndonnell, Pierre Poulain & Marion Christiaens. Cameras: Willie Chu, Zachary Skinner, Kristopher Johnson, Bob Lyness.