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ABOUT

Dancing at the Edge of Transformation

Since 2000, when she was first struck by the "Butoh arrow" through witnessing a performance by Alan Sutherland, Sheri Brown has been devoted to the path of Butoh as a practice of embodiment, research, collaboration, and deep listening.

What began as artistic awakening grew into a twenty-year creative and teaching partnership with Sutherland—one that continues to inform her work and spirit today.

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A performer, solo artist, teacher, and Artistic Director of DAIPANbutoh Collective, Sheri creates movement work that invites presence, transformation, and discernment between the truths and illusions carried in the body. Her work approaches Butoh as a living practice of inquiry—one that listens closely to breath, silence, relationship, and MA: the living space between.
 

Sheri and Alan’s final dance collaboration, Red Wolfe Dragonfly, was created during a time when illness no longer allowed Alan to dance. Instead, he recorded his poetry for Sheri to weave into the performance. He passed before the work was performed publicly, transforming his voice and poetics into a poignant and enduring bridge between Sheri, their shared community, and the continuing life of their artistic dialogue.

Sheri now continues creating work with and through his presence in her evolving "ma-sphere," cultivating spaces where artists and audiences can breathe together, witness deeply, and explore what it means to be fully human.

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Choreographer: Iván Espinosa
Photo by: Jim Lee Carey

Choreographer: Sheri Brown
Photo by: Bruce Clayton Tom

Alongside her own creative work, Sheri is dedicated to service through supporting the voices, visions, and unfolding processes of others, creating environments where collective exploration and individual expression can coexist and thrive.

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Approach

Sheri sees Butoh as a space for research and exploration into what moves us, both inside and out. Her classes and performances begin with a sense of readiness and prayer, a quiet invitation to arrive fully in the present moment.

Through presence and deep listening, she guides movers to slow down and notice the body’s natural impulses.
Each motion is a practice in refinement and revealing that guides students to discover layers of emotion, memory, and truth that live beneath the surface. By letting go of performance and tuning in to inner sensation, Sheri helps students find a dance that feels honest, grounded, and deeply human.

Values

Sheri’s work is guided by a spirit of compassion and conscientiousness. All of her work is rooted in deep care for the body, the earth, and the unseen connections between them. She approaches each creative process with a capable and dignified presence, honoring the integrity of every dancer and every moment.
 

Her artistry is both deep and cultured, informed by decades of study, travel, and collaboration across traditions and disciplines. Whether performing or teaching, she aims to create experiences that are captivating and invite others to witness movement as a language of emotion, memory, and transformation.
 

Rooted yet fluid, Sheri remains adaptable and curious, continually evolving her practice in response to the times, the body, and the questions that emerge through the dance itself.

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Selected Achievements

  • Artistic Director, DAIPANbutoh Collective (2010–present)

  • Recipient, City Artist Grant (2025)

  • Recipient, Centering Art on Racial Equity Grant (2022, 2025)

  • Recipient, Dokkebi Award, Chuncheon International Mime Festival, South Korea

  • International touring artist across Asia, Europe, North America, and South America

  • Creator and performer of Trio De Femmes World Tour

  • Guest Artist, FIBUTOH Chile

  • Solo Japan tours with musician Marron DubMarronics

  • Guest Artist and Teacher at international festivals including Asheville, Bangkok, San Francisco, and Boulder Butoh Festivals

  • Nominee, National Artspace Award
     

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Community Involvement

As Artistic Director of DAIPANbutoh Collective, Sheri cultivates spaces where movement becomes a source of healing, transformation, and connection. A CARE Grant recipient, she leads community workshops and international collaborations that bridge global and local artists through the shared language of Butoh.

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For over twenty years, Sheri has been a steady presence in Seattle’s Pioneer Square Art Walk, offering performances that invite reflection, renewal, and a deeper sense of belonging within the community.

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