About Vangeline Theater/New York Butoh Institute

carrying BUTOH into the 21st century

The Vangeline Theater/New York Butoh Institute has been a leader in the development of contemporary Butoh dance since its founding in 2002.

WE

   ENGAGE, EDUCATE, EMPOWER

THROUGH

BUTOH

Our Mission

The Vangeline Theater's mission is to educate the public about butoh, promoting an understanding of Butoh dance history and its social and cultural significance; to connect Butoh to other art forms and disciplines, and to build community through butoh. The Vangeline Theater is home to the New York Butoh Institute, providing superior butoh training to our community. The New York Butoh Institute is dedicated to the advancement of Butoh in the 21st century, with a special emphasis on education, social justice, research, and archiving.

The Vangeline Theater/New York Butoh Institute reaches out to the New York and international community by offering public butoh classes, workshops, and performances through collaborations with international and national Butoh artists. Our socially conscious performances tie together butoh and activism; our work addresses issues of gender inequality, and social justice. Our yearly New York Butoh Institute Festival elevates the visibility of women in butoh, and our festival Queer Butoh gives a voice to LGBTQI butoh artists.

Our award-winning, 15-year running program The Dream a Dream Project brings butoh dance to incarcerated men and women at correctional facilities across New York State. "The Dream a Dream Project" contributes to the rehabilitation of New York's incarcerated population.

Our programs promote equity, diversity, and inclusion in the field of butoh.

The Vangeline Theater has been heralded in numerous national and international publications. Check out our PRESS REVIEWS.

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Access

The Vangeline Theater is committed to an inclusive and welcoming environment for all. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and access are more than just words to us.

When we gather as a community, we affirm the presence, participation, and fundamental worth of each member— celebrating the diversity represented in age, gender, race, ethnicity, origins, religion, sexual orientation, ability, political viewpoints, and socioeconomic status.

Diversity, inclusivity, and accessibility are important to our core mission; our board, programming, and artists reflect these values. Our classes and performance are inclusive of those with various physical abilities, and mental health needs. Our classes are trauma-informed, and we strive to make our performances accessible to all. We are committed to anti-racist/anti-oppressive practices.

Since its inception, Vangeline Theater has held a special relationship to costume conservation. Each of our performances features antique costumes, reproductions of period costumes or costume inspired by historical designs. Our prized costume collection is renowned and was featured in Vanity Fair Italia in 2012. In 2019, we partnered with the Tatsumi Hijikata Archives and the Society of Antiquaries of London to reproduce and iconic butoh costume worn by Tatsumi Hijikata. Read the story here.

Donate and Support the Vangeline Theater here; your contribution is 100% tax deductible.

Watch Vangeline Theater on CNN's GREAT BIG STORY

We are grateful for past and present funding from: