Methuselah (in development)
On December 8th, 2023, the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) was officially moved from the federal Canadian Species At Risk Act status as a species of “special concern” and was reclassified as endangered, that is, “facing imminent extirpation or even extinction” (SARA).
Each year, the fragile insect makes its way from Point Pelee Ontario towards the Oyamel forests in the Mexican state of Michoácan. This astonishing creature sets off in what will be a multi-generational journey across 5000 kilometres through the forests of the Northern Hemisphere, through the dangerously shifting climates, ravaged habitats, and a dwindling milkweed food supply. Only the fourth generation, the methuselah generation, will land and roost at the southbound destination in El Rosario in the Mexican state of Michoácan.
Methuselah is a new interdisciplinary work-in-development by butoh artist Salome Nieto and composer Jami Reimer. The collaborators have followed the monarch to Point Pelee Ontario and the oyamel forests of Michoacan and are working a new work for butoh and music.
Follow along here and @jamisreimer and @mariasalomenieto for updates!
Each year, the fragile insect makes its way from Point Pelee Ontario towards the Oyamel forests in the Mexican state of Michoácan. This astonishing creature sets off in what will be a multi-generational journey across 5000 kilometres through the forests of the Northern Hemisphere, through the dangerously shifting climates, ravaged habitats, and a dwindling milkweed food supply. Only the fourth generation, the methuselah generation, will land and roost at the southbound destination in El Rosario in the Mexican state of Michoácan.
Methuselah is a new interdisciplinary work-in-development by butoh artist Salome Nieto and composer Jami Reimer. The collaborators have followed the monarch to Point Pelee Ontario and the oyamel forests of Michoacan and are working a new work for butoh and music.
Follow along here and @jamisreimer and @mariasalomenieto for updates!
Contact for workshop footage!
Workshop history:
Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, Culture Days, Vancouver, October 2024
Kokoro Dance, Vancouver, September 2025
International Butoh Festival, October 2025
Upcoming:Dance Centre, April 2026
Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, Culture Days, Vancouver, October 2024
Kokoro Dance, Vancouver, September 2025
International Butoh Festival, October 2025
Upcoming:Dance Centre, April 2026
