More grey nomads in skimpy jersey tunics , yin-yang bling and hill tribe seniors than you could poke a stick at--the Laughing Yogi, Noelle, Lovely Kennie, Ananda Soprano, Philipo Narcicist etc etc.......
Sadly not one member--Balinese or otherwise-- from Ubud's significant Dance Community!
Reviews
40 years following the time of the genius of butoh, Tatsumi Hijikata, there hasn’t been a performance that exudes its strength into a spectator’s heart. This is because the surface-oriented technique and style have become butoh’s top priorities. In such times, a dancer who faces his craft head-on with such passion as Ko Murabushi is a rarity.
In “quick silver”, Murabushi used techniques pioneered by Hijikata, yet mixed and molded it to ultimately make it his own. The essence of Butoh is to dive into field of dance that the West has closed its eyes to. I hope to continue to see Murabushi dive deeper into these fields and coax more excellent pieces of dance from them.
(Tatsuro Ishii, DANZA, Aug/Sept. Ed)
During a time when butoh has lost its sense of mystery and is rapidly turning into a form of mundane entertainment, Ko Murobushi goes against current trends with open confidence, in his latest solo performance, he exudes boundless energy form his silver-painted body.
Watching Murobushi constantly moving his body to avoid fixing himself in one pose was akin to watching mercury powder wave and roll its way all over the stage. With just his formidable physicality, Murobushi pierced the audience’s imagination.
(Hideki Sukenari, Yomiuri Newspaper, June 27, 2006)
Murobushi Ko ProfileKo is one of the best known and acclaimed Butoh artist in the world and is recognized in Japan as a leading ingeritor of Hijikata’s original vision of Butoh. He studied with Hijikata in 1968, briefly ‘giving up’ dance to become a “Yamabushi” mountain monk, back into the society he founded the Butoh-Group DAIRAKUDAKAN together with Ushio Amagatsu, Akaji Maro and other. 1974 he created the Butoh-magazine ‘Hageshi Kietsu (Violent Season)” and founded a female Butoh-Company “ARIADONE” with Cardona Ikeda, and for which he did many choreographs. 2 years later he founded a similar only-male Butoh-group: SEBI.
With a co-operation of these two groups he brought the Butoh to Europe and makes Europeans to notice Butoh: LE DERNIER EDEN-PORTE DE L’AU-DE LA succeeded in Paris in 1978, and was followed by a big tour through whole Europe with ARIADONE in 1981/82. From 1988 Ko concentrated on duo-productions with Urara Kusanagi, and toured in the following years in Europe and South America.
On the one hand he continues to open his dance and the Butoh to the worldwide influences, and the other hand he tries to research his work much deeper into its Japanese roots. His solo production [Edge01], [Edge02] and group production [Edge03] invited by several international dance festival, ImPulsTanz Festival, Montpellier Dance Festival, London Butoh Network Festival, and so on. He has received numerous awards for residencies worldwide, including Mexico, India and New York. Ko is in great demand as a workshop teacher and an artistic director of the ImPulsTanz Festival in Vienna.
In 2003, he settled his unit Ko&Edge Co. with 3 young Japanese dancers, presented [Handsome Blue Sky] in ‘JADE2003 Hijikata Memorial’ in Japan, and caught frantic applause. In 2004, this unit Ko&Edge Co. present new series titled [Experimental Body] which is to search “edge” in a physical way. In 2005, Ko&Edge presented [Handsome Blue Sky] in US-Canada tour (5 venues). His latest performance as [Experimental Body] series was [MIMI] in 2007.
His choreographies as well as his solo performances continue to establish Ko Murobushi as one of the highest reputed representative of Butoh, and every moment Ko challenges to reach new possibility of Butoh.
Anak Agung Gde Bagus Madera ErawanBorned in Peliatan Ubud, Bali 1950.
His father was musician and Legong dance teacher, and his mother was a dancer, so he was influenced by family in his childhood. His father established the Gong Kebyar group “Gunung Sari” which performed at foreign country since 1931. It was still Dutch colonial period when Gunung Sari was performed at Paris and Holland.
In 1971, participated the Australian Moomba Festival in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra.
Now he perform and teaching dance and music in Tirtha Sari and Genta Buwana Sari the foundation.
Performing at foreign country
1973 Performed in Asia Pacific countries and tour to Europe and the States.
1977 Performed in Asian Festival, Hong Kong
1981 Tour in New York, San Francisco and Mexico for Spoleto Festival
1985 Performed in Tsubuka EXPO Japan
1988-91Performed in Okinawa, Kawasaki, Tokyo, Nagoya and Gifu
1996 Performed at various cities in USA
1997 Performed in Tokyo
1998 Performed in France, Germany, Netherland, Belgium and Switzerland
