Seattle International Butoh Festival 2026

Seattle International Butoh Festival 2026

November 19–22, 2026

DAIPANbutoh Collective welcomes internationally acclaimed New York artist Maureen Fleming to Seattle for four days of performance, embodied inquiry, and community gathering.

This year’s festival brings together Fleming’s singular vision with new work by DAIPANbutoh Collective artists—honoring Butoh’s origins while opening space for distinct contemporary voices, deep physical listening, transformation, and discovery.

Festival Schedule

Thursday, November 19 at 8:00 PM

Butoh Cabaret — Free

An informal and spirited evening bringing together Butoh artists and community members in the intimate setting of the TK Artist Lofts Community Room.

Location:
TK Artist Lofts Community Room
115 Prefontaine Place S
Seattle, WA 98104

Friday, November 20 at 8:00 PM

Maureen Fleming: AXIS MUNDI

Maureen Fleming’s critically acclaimed solo AXIS MUNDI uses metaphorical imagery to explore the human search for transcendence in its many forms.

Presented internationally in spaces ranging from a thousand-year-old church in Palermo to a Japanese firehouse during Tokyo’s 1990 Butō Festival, the work returns in a new re-creation for Seattle. AXIS MUNDI offers a poignant study of the female body and its relationship to the universal soul’s journey.

Join us for snacks and a post-show discussion with Maureen Fleming. Meet the artist and hear about her New York farm, the pipeline threatening it, and her work with Butoh pioneers Kazuo Ohno, Yoshito Ohno, and Min Tanaka. The conversation will also explore data centers and their far-reaching effects on the environment.

Saturday, November 21

12:00–4:00 PM
Maureen Fleming Workshop: Regenerative Body Architecture

8:00 PM
Performances by DAIPANbutoh Collective artists

Sunday, November 22

12:00–4:00 PM
Maureen Fleming Workshop: Regenerative Body Architecture

8:00 PM
Closing performances by DAIPANbutoh Collective artists, with an optional shared evocation by participants in Maureen Fleming’s workshop

Maureen Fleming Workshop

Regenerative Body Architecture

In this two-day workshop, Maureen Fleming shares her distinctive approach to movement, originally arising from the Japanese avant-garde dance movement Butoh.

Participants will be guided toward their deepest creative core, discovering ways to reveal the transcendent within physical form. Fleming’s discipline brings catharsis and alchemy into the cultivation of strength, flexibility, and balance.

This regenerative inner work supports a fuller realization of personal and creative vision. The workshop is designed for dancers, directors, actors, singers, yoga practitioners, therapists, and anyone interested in discovering their movement potential.

The workshop culminates in an optional shared evocation during Sunday evening’s closing performance.

DAIPANbutoh Collective

Formed in 2010, DAIPANbutoh Collective is devoted to strengthening the presence of Butoh in Seattle and throughout the Pacific Northwest. The collective produces the work of its members while bringing national and international artists to the region for performances, workshops, and creative exchange.

DAIPAN’s seasoned performers and choreographers acknowledge Butoh’s origins and decades of development around the world while continuing to cultivate their individual artistic voices.

Participating members include Sheri Brown, Robyn Bjornson, Dhyana Garcia, Joan Laage/Kogut Butoh, Kaoru Okumura, Helen Thorsen, and Alycia Scott Zollinger. Additional details about individual works will be announced.

Location

Friday through Sunday performances and workshops take place at:

YAW Theater
6520 5th Avenue S
Seattle, WA 98108

Please note that Thursday’s free Butoh Cabaret takes place at the TK Artist Lofts Community Room in Pioneer Square.

Performance Tickets

General Admission: $30
Students • Seniors • Artists: $25
Limited Pay-What-You-Can: $10 minimum

Five Pay-What-You-Can tickets are available for each performance.

Workshop Registration

One Day: $60
Both Days: $100

Full Festival Pass

Performances and Workshops Pass: $150

Includes admission to all festival performances and both days of Maureen Fleming’s workshop.