Based in Aarhus, Denmark, Yael Gaathon is a performer, choreographer, and teacher working with Butoh and theatre. She is the artistic director of Blue Cliff and has been active in the performing arts for over 35 years—performing, creating, teaching, and developing her own artistic language.

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Yael sees Butoh as an extreme form of sincerity, revealing intimacy, darkness, joy, and vulnerability. Her approach can be summed up by a quote from Butoh master Kazuo Ohno: “It is the soul that dances, and the body follows.”

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She began her career as an actress, graduating from Nissan Nativ Acting Studio (Israel) in 1993. After graduation, she joined the internationally acclaimed Itim Theater Ensemble, performing worldwide, including at The Barbican Centre (London), Wiener Festwochen (Vienna), and Adelaide Festival (Australia).

Yael began practicing Butoh in Israel in 1995 and later made several trips to Japan to study under Yoshito Ohno, as well as Natsu Nakajima, Yukio Waguri, and others.

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Today, Yael choreographs, directs, performs, and teaches. She has worked with institutions such as The Royal Danish Theatre, The Danish National School of Performing Arts, and the Danish Actors Association.

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Yael Gaathons latest performance "Shinpai Shinaide - Don't Worry About Us" has been nominated for two Danish Theater Awards - Reumert 2019, in the catagories of Best Performance and Best Performer.

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