The Body as Threshold: A Practice of Return and Departure
Faciliated by Meshi Chavez
September 13th, 2025
This Butoh workshop examines the body as a threshold—a space where what is known meets what is waiting to emerge.
We start by returning home—to breath, sensation, and presence—before moving toward movement and creative discovery. Through guided improvisation, structured frameworks, and attentive presence, we explore how form and constraint can unlock freedom, expression, and transformation.
This practice encourages you to deepen your presence, expand creative resources, and discover movement that feels both new and deeply personal. It provides tools to support choreographic inquiry, the creative process, and embodied exploration.
Together, we experience cycles of arrival, departure, and return—each time discovering new territory. This workshop features live music by musician and composer Lisa DeGrace. We invite you to join us; the only requirement is a willingness to begin.
Schedule
Workshop – 10am – 3pm
Lunch break 12-1pm
Followed by a solo performance by Meshi as part of a Shared Stage performance evening from 7-9.30pm (optional)
Option to stay overnight at WildHeart before or after – come early or stay late. Reach out to us at contact@wildheartcenter.art to confirm your stay.
Who is it for?
This workshop is for anyone curious about movement as a practice for creative discovery, personal inquiry, and deepened presence. It welcomes participants with a range of experience—from performers and choreographers seeking to expand their creative process to those new to Butoh or embodied movement practices.
About Meshi Chavez
Trained extensively with Butoh masters Natsu Nakajima and Denise Fujiwara, Chavez approaches dance as a profound process of inquiry and transformation. His workshops encourage openness, creative divergence, and the deconstruction of colonial legacies, fostering a connection between movement, creativity, and Queer Futurity.
Rooted in Butoh—a practice of presence, deep listening, and emergence—he invites participants to discover movement as a path to personal and collective transformation.
www.meshichavez.com
Instagram: Redleafwalks
About Lisa DeGrace
Lisa DeGrace is a sound composer who creates spatial environments that evoke a sonic perfume of people, land, and spirits. Her scores are built from found sounds, MIDI, live instrumentation, and voice. Much of her work unfolds in live performance collaborations with video artists and contemporary dancers, centered around themes of consciousness, spirit, ancestors, death, and transformation. Upcoming projects include a collaboration with video artist Nanda D’Agostino at the Peabody Essex Museum. She holds an MFA from Sierra Nevada University.
www.studiom13.com
Instagram: duchessoflevity
Location
WildHeart is located on 46+ beautiful acres in the Hudson Valley at 183 East Road, Wallkill, NY.
This event will take place in the Barn and outdoors, the large building at the end of the driveway. You can park in either of the two parking areas on the right side of the driveway before you get to the Barn. There are also a few spots in front of the Barn.
More info about directions and transportation options HERE.
Please be prepared to be outdoors for these events!
Refund Policy
- no refunds, no transfers.
(This policy stands even in case of sickness so we encourage participants to plan accordingly)
Register for the workshop
Program Cost
$100-125 Sliding Scale
BIPOC spots
We are offering 2 free spots for BIPOC folx. Please select BIPOC Spot from the Pricing drop down to use one.