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MycoMorphosis: Dancing with Fungi is a multimedia Bio-Art project directed by choreographer Iván-Daniel Espinosa. Inspired by the underground networks of mycelium that connect the roots of thousands of plants and trees, this live performance incorporates mycology and myco-sculpture with electroacoustic soundscapes and Japanese Butoh dance to bring to life the fascinating world of fungi in an immersive theatrical setting. For this performance, Espinosa and his collaborators have designed a 10-foot tall maze-like sculpture made up of fungal colonies with fruiting mushrooms of different species. Musical soundscapes are created in real time by hooking up the fungi to bio-sensor and bio-sonification devices that convert the mycelium’s electrical and textural activity into Live sounds. The installation is further activated by dancers performing a choreography in the style of Japanese Butoh (舞踏, Butō) inspired by the vibrant ecosystems of fungi and their shapeshifting movement through time and space. MycoMorphosis: Dancing with Fungi creates a multi-sensory and mind-bending experience that demonstrates a deeply intimate relationship to nature, where the distinctions between human and non-human worlds disintegrate in slow and attentive bodily practice.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR & CHOREOGRAPHER:
Iván-Daniel Espinosa is a dance choreographer and installation artist that creates interdisciplinary artwork engaged with ecology, mushrooms, climate change, and interspecies performance. Iván-Daniel is a current PhD Candidate in Theatre and Performance Studies at the University of Colorado-Boulder and he also holds a Master of Arts in Performance Studies from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Iván-Daniel’s PhD dissertation research at CU Boulder examines the intersections of performance and mycology, focusing on the relationships between human bodies and mycelium fungi networks through the lenses of choreography and performance studies.
As a scholar and artist, Iván-Daniel specializes in Butoh (舞踏, Butō), an avant-garde form of dance that was developed by Tatsumi Hijikata in 1960’s Tokyo. For over a decade, Iván-Daniel has trained with many renowned Japanese master teachers from the lineage of Hijikata including Natsu Nakajima, Saga Kobayashi, Koichi and Hiroko Tamano, Semimaru and Dai Matsuoka of SANKAI JUKU, and Moe Yamamoto of Kanazawa Butoh-Kan. Iván-Daniel’s formative training began in 2014 with Seattle Butoh pioneer Joan Laage, who continues to serve as his foremost teacher and collaborator to this day. Iván-Daniel is the Executive Producer of the Salish Sea Butoh Festival, an annual convergence that takes place on the Olympic Peninsula to deepen the study of Japanese Butoh with artists from all over the world.
** MycoMorphosis: Dancing with Fungi is funded in part by a Community Project Grant from the Boulder Arts Commission, an agency of the Boulder City Council. This project is also supported by additional grants and funding from the CU Office for Public and Community-Engaged Scholarship and the Nature, Environment, Science & Technology (NEST) Studio for the Arts. **