Yumi Umiumare
Buried TeaBowl – OKUNI is an intimate and epic solo performance piece. It is a fusion of dance, text, and song, underscored by dynamic visual elements, a compelling original musical score, and of course – a tea ceremony.
Drawing inspiration from the historical Japanese female entertainer, Izumo no Okuni, initiator of Kabuki theatre in early 1600s Japan, Buried TeaBowl – OKUNI is a visceral adventure – a transcendent feast for the senses.
At the height of her creative prowess, Yumi Umiumare, Australia’s leading Butoh artist, unearths precious sacred female powers all too often buried throughout history. Yumi’s channelling of the multifaceted Okuni (who was so powerful, yet fragile and complex) culminates in a powerhouse solo performance that refuses to be defined by genre. Furious, funny, wistful, strange, and wild. Buried TeaBowl – OKUNI will carry you on a bizarre, unruly and heartfelt journey as only Yumi Umiumare can.
A Proustian, unruly one-woman show, a work of pleasure and bite.
— The Saturday Paper
