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| Omar Ramírez Casas & Gustavo Thomas (2014) Omar Ramírez Casas (Video-artist / Video artista) 
Omar Ramirez has worked for more than 15 years with image and video. He has been an iconographic researcher for programs and documentaries on Channel 22 in Mexico. He has worked as a photographer, TV producer and director of video documentaries for different Mexican institutions and government agencies. He has, independently of his professional work, two personal documentaries, "The witch of my times" and "Augurio del Ahuizote", which received two awards, one as best original music and a special mention for registration of popular traditions of Mexico. He has worked at the National Institute of Anthropology and History, managing the video and news department. He is currently engaged in work as a freelance on video and image documentation.
His work around video art had been deeply personal until he decided to venture as a video artist with short films published online (https://vimeo.com/user18223381). He participated in the making of the video for the exhibition "I & I = US" by visual artist Ana Corberó in the Exhibition Center of Beirut, Lebanon (2013). As an on-stage video artist he participated alongside Gustavo Thomas in the third part of the Butoh work, La Cenizas del maestro (2014). His making of shorts films continues permanently.
Su trabajo alrededor del arte en video había sido profundamente personal hasta que decide incursionar como video artista con cortos publicados por internet (https://vimeo.com/user18223381). Participó en la realización del video para la exposición "I&I=US" de la artista plástico Ana Corberó en el Centro de Exposiciones de Beirut, Líbano (2013). Como artista de video en escena participó al lado de Gustavo Thomas en la tercera parte del espectáculo de Butoh, La Cenizas del maestro (2014). Su realización de cortos continúa permanentemente.
Gustavo Thomas (Butoh Artist / Butoh artista)  |
Butoh artist, performing arts researcher, playwright and poet.
First an actor, he studied at Antonio González Caballero’s acting workshop mastering Gonzalez Caballero’s acting method, and has dedicated himself for more than 25 years to promote the work of that method through courses, articles and a book that collects the whole structure of the method as a valuable document for future generations of actors.
He has developed himself as a multidisciplinary artist in theater, as an actor, playwright, stage director and performing arts researcher. He has studied, worked and collaborated in dozens of schools, workshops and work-studies, as well as participated with different theater companies, focusing his acting work towards a theater linked to the method of González Caballero, to the explorations of Theater Anthropology, and to the different exploratory stages done by Jerzy Grotowski. His drama texts have been performed, published and read in different parts of the country. He was director of the theatre company Esférica Ludens from 1997 to 2002 with 5 productions under his belt.
In 2003, in a personal crisis and disappointed with the options offered by the theatrical life of the country, he left Mexico to start a trip around the world and recognize other theatrical cultures, teachers and means of expression, living in Lebanon (2003-2005 ), in China (2005-2009) and Canada, visiting more than 150 cities on 4 continents.
In 2009 he ventures into digital art and photography participating in a collective exhibition in New York, with a picture of him as the emblem of the exhibition on performing arts in Bali at the San Francisco Asian Art Museum in 2010, as well as collaborating with his images in different magazines (Able Muse, 2014) and in different internet sites.
Since 2010 he has been studying and working creatively with Butoh. His studies and practices have taken him to Toronto, Montréal, New York, Yokohama and Tokyo, working with masters such as Denise Fujiwara, Jocelyne Montpetit, Seisaku, Ko Murobushi, Natsu Nakajima and Yoshito Ohno, son of one of the two founders of Butoh, Kazuo Ohno, and whom Gustavo considers his most influential teacher due to the primordial interest he has in the so-called "Butoh of light", an open encounter with the spiritual forces of the artist through the impulsive movement and the free use of internal images. Gustavo has presented his work of Butoh in Spain, Japan, Lebanon and Mexico, always in close collaboration with visual artists and musicians.
His previous Butoh work, "The Ashes of the Master" (Las Cenizas del Maestro), was a conjunction of three short works: 'The Dance of the Father', 'The Ashes of the Master', and 'The Garden of Ashes', where he explored and confronted his personal memories with his father and his first teacher, and with the way of sharing the teachings inherited from his ancestors.
"Languid bodies, a piece of Butoh and Video", is a collaboration with the video artist Omar Ramírez Casas on sexual violence within the family and the consequences living inside the victims' entire lives.
His Butoh he considers it not a show in itself, but an encounter and a sharing of his creative and personal life with the spectator and with other artists on the scene through the impulsive and spiritual movement of his own being.
Artista de Butoh, investigador de artes escénicas, fotógrafo y poeta.
Primero actor, estudió en el taller de Antonio González Caballero con su método de actuación y se ha dedicado por más de 25 años a promover el trabajo de ese método a través de cursos, artículos y un libro que recopila toda la estructura del método como un valioso documento para las futuras generaciones de actores.
Se ha desarrollado como artista multidisciplinario en el teatro, como actor, dramaturgo, director de escena e investigador. Ha estudiado, trabajado y colaborado en decenas escuelas, talleres y estudios, así como participado en montajes con diferentes compañías teatrales enfocando su trabajo actoral hacia un teatro ligado al método de González Caballero, a las exploraciones de la Antropología Teatral, y a las diferentes etapas exploratorias de Jerzy Grotowski. Sus textos dramáticos han sido montados, publicados y leídos en diferentes partes del país. Fue director de la compañía de arte representacional Esférica Ludens de 1997 hasta 2002 con 5 producciones teatrales en su haber.
En 2003, en crisis personal y decepcionado de las opciones que ofrecía para sus intereses la vida teatral del país, deja México para iniciar un viaje por el mundo y reconocer otras culturas teatrales, maestros y medios de expresión, viviendo en Líbano (2003-2005), en China (2005-2009) y Canadá, visitando en su andar más de 150 ciudades de 4 continentes.
En 2009 incursiona en el arte digital y la fotografía participando en una exposición colectiva en Nueva York, siendo una foto suya el emblema de la exposición sobre artes escénicas de Bali en el museo de arte asiático de San Francisco en 2010, así como colaborando con sus imágenes en diferentes revistas (Able Muse, 2014) y en diferentes sitios de internet.
Desde 2010 se dedica a estudiar y trabajar creativamente con el Butoh. Sus estudios y prácticas lo han llevado a Toronto, Montréal, Nueva York, Yokohama y Tokio, trabajando con maestros como Denise Fujiwara, Jocelyne Montpetit, Seisaku, Ko Murobushi, Natsu Nakajima y Yoshito Ohno, hijo de uno de los dos fundadores del Butoh, Kazuo Ohno, y a quien Gustavo considera su maestro de mayor influencia debido al interés primordial que tiene en el llamado “Butoh de la luz”, un encuentro abierto con las fuerzas espirituales del artista a través del movimiento impulsivo y el uso libre de imágenes internas. Gustavo ha presentado su trabajo de Butoh en España, Japón, Líbano y México siempre en íntima colaboración con artistas visuales y músicos.
Su anterior montaje de Butoh, "Las cenizas del maestro", fue una conjunción de tres trabajos cortos: 'La danza de padre', “Las cenizas del maestro", y “El jardín de las cenizas", donde exploró y confrontó sus recuerdos personales tanto con la herencia de su padre, la herencia de su maestro, y con la manera de compartir las enseñanzas heredadas de sus antepasados.
"Cuerpos lánguidos, un pieza de Butoh y Video", es una colaboración con el video artista Omar Ramírez Casas sobre la violencia sexual dentro de la familia y las consecuencias durante toda la vida de las víctimas.
Su Butoh lo considera no un espectáculo en sí, sino un encuentro y un compartir su vida creativa y personal con el espectador y con otros artistas sobre la escena a través del movimiento impulsivo y espiritual de su propio ser.