University of Kent

Frances Barbe joined Drama at Kent in 2001 as a post-doctoral research fellow, the recipient of a Creative Fellowship in the Performing Arts from AHRB and Daiwa Anglo Japanese Foundation. She joined the department as a permanent Lecturer and Researcher in 2004.

Frances Barbe's practice and research uses Japanese theatre as inspiration for rethinking training, methodology and aesthetics in western dance and theatre. Her aim is to develop interdisciplinary, physical performance by drawing on the intercultural models of Butoh dance and Tadashi Suzuki's Actor Training Method.

She is director of Theatre Training Initiative (www.theatretraining.org.uk), an organisation which programmes training and creative development opportunities with international practitioners. She has been artistic director of international festivals in London including the Daiwa International Butoh Festival in 2005 and London Butoh Festival in 2009 (www.londonbutohfestival.org.uk)

Frances Barbe trained first in ballet and modern dance, before completing a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Drama at the University of Queensland, Australia, graduating with First Class Honours in 1993.

She was introduced to Suzuki training in 1992 through Frank Theatre, Australia, with whom she has trained and performed since 1992. She hosts Frank Theatre (www.ozfrank.com) regularly in the UK and has travelled with them to Japan to observe the Suzuki Company of Toga in training and rehearsals.

She was introduced to Butoh dance in 1992 by Lynne Bradley of Zen Zen Zo and went on to pursue her research of Butoh all over the world. She has performed with Tadashi Endo’s Mamu Dance Theatre since 1997 (www.tadahi-endo.de) . She has also performed with Katsura Kan at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in ‘Curious Fish’, which received a five star rating from The Scotsman. In 2009 she collaborated with Tokyo Butoh dancer, Yuko Kawamoto.

She produces her own dance theatre works, both solo and group works with her company, based in London. The work draws on her western dance and theatre training, inspired by her training in Butoh and Suzuki.

• Palpitation (2003, 2004) for Fran Barbe Dance
• Fine Bone China (2003, 2004) for Fran Barbe Dance - photos
• Fine Bone China (2006 productions - new photos)
• Steel Flesh (1998) for Zen Zen Zo
• Tight Red and Deadly (1996, 2000) for Zen Zen Zo
• Steel Ribbons (1996, 2000) for Zen Zen Zo
• Attic Soul (1998)
• Laugh of the Medusa (1997)
• Hysterical Angels (1993) for Zen Zen Zo
• The Horror (1992, 1996, 1999) for Zen Zen Zo
• Butoh Bodies (2009) a research presentation of work created in collaboration with Yuko Kawamoto.
• Swampsong (2009) a work in progress presentation of new solo material as part of Islington Dance Festival.
• Fine Bone China  - a solo work performed in Barcelona (2008), Tokyo and New York (2007), Brisbane, Singapore and London’s Royal Opera House Clore Studio (2006), Exeter, Whitstable and London (2004). 
• Chimaera – a group work shown London, Canterbury, and Brisbane in 2006. A DVD of the creative process is available for sale.

Frances Barbe has produced a number of DVD documentations including the following which are available for purchase from School of Arts at Kent.

• Daiwa International Butoh Archive (2005)
  Tadashi Endo
  Yumiko Yoshioka
  Shinonome Butoh
  Katsura Kan
  Koichi Tamano            
• The Way of Butoh and Contemporary Choreography by Frances Barbe (2003)
• Frances Barbe: From Studio to Stage (2006)