Lani Weissbach is a performer, teacher and choreographer of contemporary dance and somatic movement based in Indianapolis, and her ongoing investigation of Butoh has deeply informed her work for over 25 years. As founder and director of Shen & Bones Performance Group based in Erie, PA, Lani created and performed for 17 years in numerous works of “quiet introspection, raw power, evocative imagery and dark themes” (Steve Sucato, national dance writer/critic). In addition to frequent engagements throughout Northwestern PA, her work has been presented by the Cleveland Public Theatre, The Vangeline Theater in NYC, The D.C. Arts Center in Washington, D.C., the BeBe Theater in Asheville, N.C. and Links Hall in Chicago.

 

As a devoted movement educator, Lani has worked in a variety of settings and with a wide range of students, from professional dancers to the elderly. She has served on the faculties of numerous colleges and universities in Northwestern Pennsylvania and the surrounding region, teaching both studio and academic courses. From 2014-16, Lani founded and co-directed Soma Movement Arts, a movement studio devoted to somatic movement education in Erie, PA. Lani is an associate artist with Pounds Per Square Inch, a Toronto-based interdisciplinary performance company and is featured in Sondra Fraleigh’s Butoh: Metamorphic Dance and Global Alchemy (University of Pittsburgh Press 2010).

 

She currently teaches for a variety of organizations and is on the staff of Indianapolis Movement Arts Collective in Indianapolis. Lani holds an M.F.A. in dance from Arizona State University, is a Registered Somatic Movement Educator (RSME) with the International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association (ISMETA) and is a Registered Yoga Teacher (E-RYT 500) with Yoga Alliance. For more information, please visit: www.laniweissbach.com.