About
- Category: Infos
- Published: Monday, 30 August 2021 12:23
Antonio Leto, in art Totobutoh, performer, choreographer, composer, butoh dance teacher graduated from the New Butoh School, CID member and instructor of postural gymnastic and gymnastic for the elderly certified by ASI, MSP, EREPS.
Born in 1972, during the '80s at the age of 10 meets japanese discipline for the fist time through the Karate of Master Aldo Milazzo, then he dedicates himself to long-distance running, deepening, while still very young, nutrition and training tecniques to mantain a good performance in a natural and ethical way. Even in those early years he decided to adopt a plant-based life-style. After many live music experiences during '90s, during which he graduates in electronic engineering (MSc) at the University of Palermo, he moves to Milan where he studies Flamenco guitar with Master Paolo Canola and harmony and analysis with Master Emiliano Turazzi, at CPSM in the Conservatory G.Verdi. Back to Palermo he attends, since 2003, the workshop "Il corpo della Voce" (The body of voice) directed by singing and theatre Master Miriam Palma, learning, among the other things, the relationship between vocal emission, posture and emotions, as well as armonic chanting tecniques and collaborating to the creation of theatrical performance like "La Gattoparda" (2008) e "Vento Soffia Più Forte" (2007-2015). Following this research path he attends in 2004 in Lugano the International Workshop of "Teatro delle Radici" "Dove il teatro danza" where he meets the theatre of Cristina Castrillo and butoh dance by dancer Margit Huber. Finds in butoh the perfect synthesis of his passions and in the same year he starts a training path that will lead him to graduate as butoh dancer and than as a Master at the New Butoh School fondata in Palermo, in the presence of Master Yoshito Ohno, by Master Sayoko Onishi, in collaboration with University of Palermo. During the years of study he collaborates with the school and with Master Sayoko Onishi as a dancer, assistant director, editor and composer for performances represented all over the world. Among these "Gli Angeli" (2005), "Strada di Campagna"(2006), "Primavera Siciliana"(2006), "Magnificat"(2008), "Red Viper"(2011), "L'angelo di Mishima" (2014). He perfected attending many workshop with internationally renowned names among which Yoshito Ohno, Maria Porter, Roberta Quarzi, Ken Mai, Henriette Hendricks, Michele Monetta, Michele Abbondanza, Giorgio Rossi, Giovanna Amarù, Marie Gabrielle Rotie, Nick Parkin. He also became a PhD in environmental applied physics in 2006 with a thesis about Open theatre's acoustics and published in this field under the supervision of Prof. Giuseppe Rodonò taking part as a speaker to some international scientific congresses and to some research projects. He composes concrete music pieces also for theatrical performances and short movies' soundtracks, including short horror movie "Dollface" by american director Jon Springer and "Le Corde di Sicilo" by Sayoko Onishi and Anna Sica for which he also directs the coral parts based on Prof. Paolo Emilio Carapezza's compositions.
He regularly practices Oki-do Yoga with Master Kumiko Onishi, Pilates with Master Lara Mascellino and Dance with Master Agata Bulferi Bulferetti. Recently he contributed to the re-foundation of Sayoko Onishi's New Butoh School, now directed by Mimma Di Vittorio at Ruvo di Puglia, inaugurating the Miniature Festival with the performance Tra Sacro e Butoh (2019). Between 2008 and 2014, in collaboration with butoh dancer Anna Costantino, he creates many performance including the duo Glass Strings finalist in the contest Presente/Futuro del Teatro Libero in Palermo (2012) and the course Giga Butoh - Il butoh del sé in which is privileged introspective aspect l'aspetto introspettivo della danza butoh. From the same years is his solo Simulacra freely inspired by the writings by Jean Baudrillard and Yukio Mishima.
Since 2013 he is an Official Member of International Dance Council of Unesco.
In 2015 after many teaching experiences he begins his collaboration with Dance Art di Lara Mascellino, establishing the regular course Butoh: tecniche di base. Since 2019 this is first butoh dance course valid for the International Certification of Dance Studies (CID - UNESCO). This certification is achieved after 150 hours of attendance for each level.
In the course the learning of butoh's basic tecniques is associated to an intense psyco-physical training based upon eastern and western disciplines of a postural and meditative nature and it's aimed to the creation of a collective performance of dance/theatre usually taking place in June. Starting from this year quest'anno it will also be possible to attend whit him the course of postural gymnastics.
Antonio promuove tramite la sensibilizzazione pubblica un'arte etica, non violenta e rispettosa delle diversità, dell'essere umano, di tutti gli animali e della natura in genere. Per questo considera il suo butoh la via per il raggiungimento dell'equilibrio corpo-anima, fonte di un'armonia che il danzatore instaura anche con la natura circostante e quindi con l'Universo.