Vangeline to premiere feminist Butoh work ‘MAN WOMAN’ at La MaMa Moves! Festival

Photo via La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club

Choreographer and dancer Vangeline will present “MAN WOMAN,” a contemporary reimagining of classic Japanese photography through a feminist lens, as part of the 21st annual La MaMa Moves! Dance Festival on April 18 and 19.

The solo Butoh work, performed at La MaMa’s Downstairs Theatre, revisits Eikoh Hosoe’s iconic 1960s photographic series “Man and Woman.” While the original imagery often positioned women as muses or mirrors to male counterparts, Vangeline’s 21st-century interpretation centers the female body as the sole author and performer.

The production features wearable art by Emmy Award-winning costume designer Machine Dazzle and an electro-acoustic score by New York-based sound artist Ray Barragan-Sweeten. Lighting for the production is designed by Ayumu “Poe” Saegusa.

“Women have historically been positioned as mirror or muse,” the production’s organizers said in a statement. “‘MAN WOMAN’ examines how a female body navigates, adapts to, and ultimately exits this male-dominated system. The female body is no longer responding to history — it is writing it.”

Vangeline, a two-time National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Dance Award recipient, is the artistic director of the New York Butoh Institute. Her work frequently intersects with social activism, including the “Dream a Dream Project,” which introduces Butoh to incarcerated populations.

Machine Dazzle, known for his “queer maximalist” aesthetic and collaborations with Taylor Mac, provides the production’s fantastical costumes. Barragan-Sweeten, a member of the DataSpaceTime collective, contributes a richly textured score that complements the experimental nature of the dance.

The performance is a highlight of the five-week La MaMa Moves! Dance Festival, curated by Nicky Paraiso. The 2026 season features 12 productions across four venues, emphasizing intergenerational exchange and the diversity of contemporary dance.

Performances of “MAN WOMAN” are scheduled for Saturday, April 18, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, April 19, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $30 for general admission, with $25 tickets available for students and seniors. Consistent with La MaMa’s mission of accessibility, the first 10 tickets for each performance are priced at $10. Click here to purchase tickets.

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