March 11 -12, 2026
Embodying the Spirit
Butoh & Nature workshops facilitated by Joan/Kogut
Discount for Early Birds until March 4, use EARLY to get 15% off*

The Checkout, 4116 N Clark St, Chicago.
Wed & Thurs March 11-12, 2026
6-10PM

Embodying the Spirit explores endless questions: What is life? What is the human condition? What is the body? In this age of an increasing use of technology to direct and control so many aspects of our daily lives, a disconnect to nature can easily result. Earth Tomes is a welcome revelation of the body as earth and, through continual transformation, reveals the changing landscape of the body. Images of earth, trees, roots, stones will be layered with explorations of the elemental body (water, wind, etc.) and animals as we celebrate the body as nature.

In this two-day workshop, we will focus on imagery from the Earth Tomes Project. Partner work will facilitate participants’ individual and collective journeys. The workshop draws from Joan’s 50-year history of training and research with many butoh masters and her background as a Tai Chi practitioner and professional gardener.

This is a process of erasing and recreating the body through guided improvisation inspired by nature imagery. Experience training methods towards a supple body and mind and investigate aesthetics common to butoh through creative explorations. All are welcome, and no previous experience is required. Come for one or both days! The Checkout is wheelchair accessible; we encourage all curious bodies. Please let us know if you have any needs that may not be addressed here.

Joan/Kogut
Residing in Seattle, Washington, for many years, Joan/Kogut is known as the Northwest butoh pioneer. She is one of the few non-Japanese to study with and dance under Yoko Ashikawa in her Tokyo-based group Gnome in the late 80s. She also studied with Kazuo and Yoshito Ohno. Joan has performed and taught at many festivals including the first New York Butoh Festival, the Seattle and Salish Sea Butoh Festivals, Vienna's Hybrid Butoh Festival, the Butoh Festival (Tenri) and the En Chair et En Son Acousmatic Festival in Paris, and the Amsterdam Butoh Festival in 2024. Joan presented her solo Rivers Running Red in New York City. Joan wrote a dissertation on the butoh body and is featured in Tanya Calamoneri’s Butoh America. Joan directs an annual site-specific event in Seattle’s Japanese gardens. Since living in Krakow from 2004 to 2006, she has been known as Kogut (rooster). www.seattlebutoh-laage.com

Produced by Sara Zalek, in partnership with Hairpin Arts Center, Movement on Montrose, and The Checkout.

*Student discounts can be accessed by using the STUDENT discount code for 25% off the ticketed price. If you are interested in work/study, there are limited slots available; please contact sara@saratonin.com for more information.

Embodying the Spirit

Butoh & Nature Workshops with Joan Laage/ Kogut Butoh