A special choreography for the Tenri University Creative Dance's annual performance
Yumi was invited to choreograph for the 19th Annual performance event by Tenri University, Nara, Japan @ Nara Century Hall, 17 Dec 2023
19th Annual performance by Tenri University, Nara, Japan @ Nara Century Hall, 17 Dec 2023
Yumi is invited as a guest choreographer to create a short work for the Creative Dance Club in Tenri University, Nara, Japan. The title: ”結” Connecting our Feeling ”
This is their 19th annual event for the Creative Dance Club in the Tenri university, who has been winning several dance awards in the Japanese university competitions.
17(Sun) Dec 2023
Venue：Nara Century Hall (Main Hall) なら１００年会館 大ホール
Open ：17 :30
Start: 18: 00
Jujutsu 呪術 Project
Jujutsu Project is a research project by Yumi Umiumare, exploring Jujutsu, the Japanese notion of shamanism. Yumi works with three artists and five specialists, including a first nations artist, a celebrant, scientists, a veterinarian/animal communicator and artists from diverse backgrounds in Australia, Japan & USA via online and live meetings.
Photo by Mathew Lynn, Vikk Shayen, Jodie Hutchinson | Graphic Design by Takashi Takiguchi
Jujutsu Project is a research Project, exploring Jujutsu
（呪術)
the Japanese notion of shamanism.
On-going research project about Jujutsu呪術: Japanese notion of Shamanism. Since 2021, Yumi has worked 5 specialists and 3 artists, including a first nations artist, scientists, veterinarian/animal communicator, clairvoyant, celebrant and artists from diverse backgrounds in Australia, Japan, Denmark and USA. Now it is in the process of making creative laboratory, which would be creating as a new performance work.
Yumi states;
“This project was inspired by Taro Okamoto's words, "Art is JuJutsu呪術 (magic)!” Having lived and practiced as an artist for more than 30 years, these famous word came to my awareness again because of the desire to recapture that "magical power" as the basis of art. During COVID-19, we frequently face ‘invisible’ fears and anxieties, this leads to the urgent question for artists ‘how should we act?’ Instead, how can we dance with the ‘invisible’ positive power of Jujutsu, through the analogy of our senses, ritual, quantum physics and inexplicable phenomena. I believe that making full use of our five senses and training our six senses, would be a one of the processes of reviving art with the magical power of Jujutsu”.
The interviews and collaboration were taken place via online and live meetings, explored the notion of ‘magic’ ‘spontaneity’ ‘inexplicable’ ‘invisible’ and connections between arts and Jujutsu. Yumi has also participated the online residency between Denmark-US-Australia, in BIRACA, Denmark.
The activities were funded by Creative Victoria, Creators Fund.
Summary Of Research Works
The summary of her research works were as below:
-
Aug 2021
-
March-May 2022
Working with Adrian Pearce, professor/ scientist(Melbourne) and PhD students in Melbourne university
Working with Shia Tsuchiya, animal communicator/veterinarian(USA)
Working with Hideki Hamada, Jujutsu expertise/psychotherapist, (Japan)
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Dec 2021- March 2022
Working with Caroline Higgins, celebrant(Melbourne)
Working with Kyoko Amara, clairvoyant/singer/ healer (Japan)
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July 2022- Oct 2022
Yumi has worked with the 3 established art practitioners of their expertise, Dalisa Pigram(Broome), Tony Yap (Melbourne), and Moira Finucane (Melbourne).
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Nov/Dec 2022
Yumi has collected 99 creative material and conducted ‘Show and tell “of those 99 materials and create a final ‘ceremony’ as 100th material of dancing, at Sol Gallery, Melbourne.
Yumi states;
“My aim of this research project was to refresh and re-inspire my creative practice through diverse perspectives; science, spirituality, rituals and other no-arts practices as well as to find actual creative methods.Through the research of the Jujutsu (translated as Magic) I was able to recapture these "magical powers" as the basis of art and started to understand some ways of finding a creative portal through arts practice.
It was extremely rich and fulfilling process for me to work with various spiritual expertises, scientists and artists, as well as to interview people in Broome, where Japanese aboriginal cultures meets. Sharing the topics about ‘magic’ and ‘invisible’ power were incredible inspiring and nurturing process for me both personally and professionally. My objective for this research was to take me into the new and unknown territories in order for me to extend my creativity in arts, spirituality and well-being all all kinds of levels. It was very satisfying process for me to fulfil my objectives and share the processes with participated artists and practitioners, exchanging our expertise and insights, especially after having long restrictions through COVID.
I was also able to share my conversations and processes with arts and non-arts communities. I’ve interviewed over 20 people from non-arts background, and conducted 3 public Zoom sessions with 3 Japanese experts, which attracted over 80 people from Japan, Australia and other countries.
As I planned, I’ve held a public show and tell of showing the 99 creative materials, and one live performance to complete the process of the 100 Supernatural Tales. It was at Sol Gallery in 16 Dec 2022.
The creative materials of spontaneous, inexplicable, invisible and art, involving stories, visual, movements were;
• 12 self edited video works( including 5 dance video)
• 5 interview excerpts videos
• 20 stories
• 10 sounds
• 10 artefacts
• 42 visual photos and poetry
• 1 final dance
The Past Session DATES/times with Specialists
2022
★SUN 30th Jan @11:00am-1:00 pm (GMT+11)
Series #3 Kyoko Amara : Chaneller/Singer
★June - Completed (without Open Zoom sessions)
Series #4 Caroline Higgins: Celebrant
★Oct- Completed (Internal Zoom sessions only)
Series #5 Melbourne university science students
2021
★Sun 5th Dec @10:30am-12pm (GMT+11)
Series #1:Shia Tsuchiya: Animal communicator
★SUN 19th Dec @10:30am-12pm (GMT+11)
Seires #2 HIDEKI Hamada: Jujutsu Specialist
BOOKING
Please book via TRY BOOKING Link
Japanese Specialists’ Profiles
Shia Tsuchiya- Animal Communicator (SEDONA, USA)
Born in Nagano, Japan, Shia currently lives in Sedna, after working in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Shia has been a veterinary specialist with more than 15 years of experience working in veterinary clinics in Japan and the United States. Taking advantage of the spiritual abilities since her childhood, Shia started to follow her teacher, Penelope Smith, a pioneer of animal communicators. Shia works also as a healer to support people not limited to animals, and lead them a better life through receiving energy from higher dimensions. Since 2010, she has been fascinated by the sacred place Sedna then moved there in 2014.In recent years, she has been qualified to manage pilgrimages to sacred places and ceremonies, especially from Native American organisations, and has also conducted hiking and ceremonies for healing and regeneration of people's bodies, spirits and souls.Currently Shia advocates ‘terra spiritualism’ that integrates a wide range of spirituals such as channeling, somatic, and coaching based on shamanism. She also educate and foster people for their healing, integration, and regeneration of their bodies, minds, and spirits, as well as their skills.
Hideki Hamada - Jujutsu Specialist (OSAKA, JAPAN)
Born in Osaka in 1965, Hideki is a expertise of Jujutsu and shamanism in general. His shamanic qualities are found by Carol Proudfoot Edgar, a Native American Lakota Sioux medicine woman. In 1995, he went to the United States to study Native American mindset and formal ceremonies under Ms. Edgar. He is the only member of the Japanese Council of "Shamanic Circles", an organisation that supports the activities of shamanism around the world. He is also a psychotherapist and representative of Eagle Tribe to conduct workshops and training programs to be psychotherapist. Hideki works to make psychology useful in daily life, for participants to develop their effective interpersonal assistance skills.
Kyoko Amara
Kyoko likes the smell of the soul. Over 20 years, she has been working as a singer with shamanistic drumming and she describes ‘hearing as the voice suddenly began to come down’. Kyoko is also a ‘channeller’/clairvoyant in Japan, holding sessions with over 9000 people. Her main work is to spiritually convey the roots of people’s souls. She has been also engaged in art and shamanistic activities through Butoh performance, painting female genitals, holding workshops for feminine liberation and holding a power animal ceremony, which is a secret practice of the Native American people. In 2017, Kyoko moved from Tokyo to the foot of Mt. Hayachine in Iwate Prefecture, organising all kinds of events while renovating an 100-year-old folk house under the name of "Ihatov Mountain and Water Sunshade”.
Kyoko is renewing her website so her FB page is here.
This project is supported by Creative Victoria, Creators Fund 2021.
Buried TeaBowl a new solo work in progress 2021
Yumi is creating a new solo work Buried TeaBowl, an interdisciplinary work with dance, text, song and poetry, inspired by Japanese female dancer/shaman, Okuni in 1600’s. The work in progress was completed in Aug 2021, and will be premiered in a live and digital performance in 2022.
photo by Vikk Shayen
Yumi's new solo work Buried TeaBowl, a work in progress, Aug 2021
Buried Tea Bowl is a new solo interdisciplinary work in development by Yumi Umiumare, bringing together dance, text, song and poetry with tea ceremony to create an intimate and epic work with both live and digital iterations.
Buried Tea Bowl channels the character of Okuni, a Japanese female shaman who initiated Kabuki during the Edo period (1600s). Kabuki comes from the word ‘Kabuku’, meaning bent or out of the ordinary, and was regarded as a subversive non-art form, passionately expressing ugliness and beauty. Later women were banned from performing Kabuki – the male performers who took over the art form can be seen as the first Japanese Drag Queens. Even though she was one of the most powerful female figures in theatre history, not many people know about Okuni, even in Japan.
Combining Yumi’s practice of Japanese tea ceremony, which flourished at the same period as Okuni was alive, she is choosing the ‘tea bowl’ as a creative metaphor of precious sacred female power which was buried under history.
Creative Team for Creative Development 2021
Created and Performed by Yumi Umiumare
In collaboration with
Cinematographer/ Editor : Takeshi Kondo
Composer/ Sound Designer : Dan West
Dramaturg : Maude Davey
Provocateur : Moira Finucane
Vocal Artist : Emma Bathgate
Shamisen Artist : Noriko Tadano
Photographer : Vikk Shayen
Producer : Kath Papas productions
This project has been assisted by
The Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body
City of Darebin, Cultural Infrastructure Grants
Abbotsford Convent Foundation, Pivot 2021
Wanna Be a Rabbit? with Weave Movement Theatre
Wannabe A Rabbit? invites audiences on an investigation between the surreal ad the absurd; exploring universal human themes like:Will I ever be perfect? Am I invisible? How do I get out of here? My sheets need a wash. It’s dark. Is that a rabbit? The show is going to be premiered 2020.
The Performance season in June 2020 were both Cancelled Due to the COVID-19.
new dates is going to be announced soon.
Will I ever be perfect? Am I invisible? How do I get out of here? My sheets need a wash. It’s dark. Is that a rabbit?
Wannabe a Rabbit? is directed and Choreographed by Yumi Umiumare in collaboration with Weave Movement Theatre. A fusion of Butoh and Physical Theatre, the work moved between the surreal and absurd; humorously reversing the perceptions of difference.
Wannabe A Rabbit? invites audiences on an investigation between the surreal ad the absurd; exploring universal human themes like:
Surfacing in reaction to the atrocities caused post World War II and initially referred to as the ‘Dance of Darkness’, Butoh converges themes of naturism and humanism. ButohOUT! intends to activate the spirit of Butoh through the local and national, contemporary dance community.
“Their strength lies in the performers’ ability to make the banal magical” – The Age
(review for Weave’s previous work)
Credit
Director: Yumi Umiumare
in collaboration with Weave Movement Theatre
Producer: Janice Florence
Sound designer: Dan West
Costume designer: Matilda Woodroofe
Lighting designer: Jennifer Hector
Installation artist: Pimpisa Tinpalit
from ButohOUT!2018 photo by Mifumi Obata
Luminous Luna
Exploring femininity in both personal and cultural cliché ways, Luminous Lunas celebrates the beauty of feminine strength- from the softer essence of beauty, crazy pop icons, surreal and mystical characters to the mundane everyday housewives.
Light in Winter Festival at Fed Square, Melbourne (June, 2015)
Director/Choreographer: Yumi Umiumare
Set and costume Designer: Jennifer Tran
Performer: Sophia Constantine, Suhasini Seelin, Felix Ching Ching Ho
Composer: Dan West
Production Manager : Jerilee Cardoz
Exploring femininity in both personal and cultural cliché ways, Luminous Lunas celebrates the beauty of feminine strength- from the softer essence of beauty, crazy pop icons, surreal and mystical characters to the mundane everyday housewives. Through roving, statute-like stillness and performance installations in public spaces, three performers create strong visual impacts, surreal atmosphere, wearing luminous costumes with transformable props in the federation square in Melbourne.
Photo by Wilari Tedjosiswoyo and Yumi Umiumare
peek-A-Butoh, Melbourne Fringe 2017
Step inside the playful and imaginative world of Japanese Butoh. With a smiling shaman as your guide, you’ll jump headfirst into a world of transformation and shape-shifting, unleashing your inner animal, object, kook and spook.
Presented by: Melbourne Fringe and ArtPlay
Created by: Yumi Umiumare
Synopsis
Step inside the playful and imaginative world of Japanese Butoh. With a smiling shaman as your guide, you’ll jump headfirst into a world of transformation and shape-shifting, unleashing your inner animal, object, kook and spook. Everyday games like peekaboo and hide and seek are given new life and new meaning under the watchful eye and guiding hand of acclaimed Butoh master Yumi Umiumare, who has been creating her distinctive style of work for over 25 years. It’s a mini afternoon of kooky dance, discovery and play as only Fringe can be.
All children must be accompanied by an adult
September 2017
