Yumino Seki is a Japanese dance artist, Butoh practitioner and qualified somatic movement educator who performs, teaches, directs and collaborates to make performances. She was born in Japan and has trained in both classical and contemporary dance.
Between 1999 and 2009 she performed in Butoh predominately with Mamu Dance Theatre (Tadashi Endo), Ten-Pen-Chii (Yumiko Yoshioka) both in Germany and Ariadone (Carlotta Ikeda) in France. 2007-2012 she studied VMI Somatic Practice with Patricia Bardi in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Since the completion of VMI she has been developing her unique Butoh and somatic practice.
She has been interested in the authenticity of the temporal body and its visceral expression in performance resulting in many work, which are site responsive and improvised in nature. Collaborating with artists from diverse disciplines has given her a broad approach to her movement practice.
Her work crosses the boundaries of dance, performance art, installation and ritual. The work has been presented in galleries, theatres and many unconventional settings. She has directed group choreography with cross-discipline and site-specific performances both indoors and outdoors. Key funders and commissioners include Arts Council England, The Japan Foundation, Cairo, Japan Society, Hastings Borough Council.
Her collaborative work includes dance, theatre, music, film and visual art. Collaborating artists include Andrew Kötting, Miranda Whall and Zadie Xa – presented at The National Gallery, London; 58th Venice Biennale; Art Night London; Dance International Glasgow & Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto.
She teaches all abilities including adults with learning disabilities. She is an associate artist at Butoh Brighton, Butoh UK, Chisenhale Dance Space, Mountview and Felinganol Woodland Retreat, Wales. She taught at Independent Dance, Buck’s New University, London Metropolitan University, and Northern School of Contemporary Dance.