Be(a)ware ButoH

Festival #2

15. - 18.10.2026

Be(a)ware Butoh Festival is an annual event in Helsinki dedicated to Butoh dance. The festival’s artistic director is Minja Mertanen, who has been active in the Butoh scene for over 20 years.

The festival team also includes producer Hanna Ikonen; Emilia Liimatainen handles visual communications, Jaakko Kuikka manages the website, Giorgio Convertito takes care of videography, and Höyhentämö manages ticket sales.

The City of Helsinki supports the festival. Other collaborators are Höyhentämö and Kellaritatteri.

The initial idea behind the festival was to bring together experienced Butoh artists and offer the audience high-quality Butoh performances and workshops.

The festival spans four days and will next take place from October 15 to 18, 2026. There will be one to two workshops per day, in total six. Four performances will be presented each evening, with a total of 13 different performances throughout the festival.

The performance venue is Kellariteatteri. The festival’s performers are Minja Mertanen and Rocio Batafurai, Onja, Josephine Grundy, Quentin Chaveriat, Andrea Casallas, Reto Weber, Cello Wyss, Coco Villarreal, Jutta Mayer, Rosa Anima, Ioku Ero Nikaido, Elizabeth Damour, Charis Taplin, Thixotrot, and Yokko. Additionally, the festival will feature MINIMUM, a video festival dedicated to Butoh videos organized by Rocio Batafurai. 

The workshop teachers for this edition are Rocio Batafurai, Josephine Grundy, Quentin Chaveriat, Andrea Casallas, Elizabeth Damour, and Yokko.

The festival brings together numerous international artists from around the world. This expands networking opportunities for Butoh artists worldwide; in Finland, there are very few long term professionals in the field and employment prospects for Butoh artists are extremely limited. International networking is vital for the development of Butoh as a discipline.

There is a clear need within the arts for alternative ways of moving and thinking about humanity. Butoh challenges ageism in dance; a Butoh dancer’s expression refines and evolves throughout their entire life. Butoh also offers an alternative to the pursuit of virtuosity typical of the traditional dance world. Practicing Butoh is accessible to all bodies—not just those capable of specific ranges of motion or those that follow counts and beats. Consequently, Butoh can engage bodies of all kinds, offering a genuine opportunity for connection. 

With its performances, workshops, and public events, Be(a)ware Butoh Festival fosters true community and artistic growth—not only for professionals but also for enthusiasts, participants, and audiences alike. 

Warmly welcome to the festival!