KATHMANDU UNIVERSITY

CENTRE FOR BUDDHIST STUDIES

AT R A N G J U N G Y E S H E I N S T I T U T E

Embodied Wisdom - Contemplative Movement

Practice Workshop
MOTOYA KONDO
When we encounter great works of ink-painting, Japanese Noh dance theatre, Haiku
poetry, Zen garden, and so on, not only the objects, shapes, or dancers attract us but
the presence of the empty space. At the same time, there is vibrance in such empty
space and innumerable different splendour qualities manifest lively.
Those Japanese art has been profoundly interwoven with Dharma, especially Zen
Buddhism becoming great roots for many experimental art to emerge. Thus being not
only religious and spiritual practice but also art practices, Dharma penetrated into the
everyday life of the Japanese people. This is not only about local Japanese matter or
Buddhist religious matter, but rather a possibility to give birth to contemporary art for
our time that can experientially explore and reveal the reality of existence, and for the
Dharma to penetrate into the modern life. Our everyday life passes, eating, working, or
dancing, within a limited cage, burying an enormously rich nature within each of us. Education, traditions, or even learning
dance could mould various forms of cages. But as we observe forests carefully under the sky, so many varieties of forms
and qualities of plants, flowers, stones, winds,,, astonish us. This workshop is an invitation to explore and encounter the
sky and the forest within our body-mind, discovering unlimited movements and textures within us, and transforming the
personal journey into a universal poem.

* The workshop is open for complete beginners, any previous dance experience is not required.
The workshop will include:
- developing awareness of subtler levels of the body
- opening the awareness to the space
- basic movement principles
- embodiment of different qualities (using objects, sounds, images)
- deconstructing the concept of time

Motoya Kondo was born in Nagoya Japan, choreographer, dancer, and co-founder of Motimaru Dance Company. From 2005
he had been studying with Yoshito Ohno, son of Kazuo Ohno and worked as his assistant. After 2010 he has started field work
researches of local and traditional dances in Japan, India, Nepal, Spain, and Bali, studied Balinese dance with Agun Anom
Putra, I Made Djimat, and Ida Bagus Oka Wirjana, in search of universal principle of movements and dance. Since 2008,
he has been immersed in the practice and study of Eastern contemplative traditions, particularly following the Tibetan
traditions, and bridging between contemporary art practices and the age old wisdom. He has been performing and teach-
ing in: Venezia Biennale 2010, 9th International Choreography Competition “No Ballet”, International Dance Festival Lucky
Trimmer 2016, Hildesheim University, Leipzig University, Hasselt university, Academy of Media Arts Cologne, etc., Europe,
Asia, Australia in over 40 cities.

SCHEDULE:
Sat & Sun, 16 & 17th Mar. 2024
10am -12pm and 2pm - 5pm NPT (Strictly in person)
Classroom 103
FEES:
Small donations from participants at the end will be welcomed
For RYI students only
Registrartion needed (places are limited) - Sign-up sheet is in the admin office
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Please call the RYI Office: 491 5975 or
write to us at admin@ryi.org.