i began my study of butoh at evergreen in '98, not w/ dorranne but w/ a student of hers, andrew for(i can't remember how to spell it), as she was on sebatical that year. i met her the following year just before i took sometime off from school to travel, and began my studies w/ her when i returned in the spring.

she had an incredibly formidable presence, intense and rather intimidating in a way. so grounded, and spiritual
i have never met another teacher or dancer who put as much intention and ritual into the preparation for performance. which is something i found deeply important and have tried to maintain as best i could while involved in performance with others of different training who chatter away while applying the white makeup that undoes your human individual, and creates the empty vessel for the dance
no one else i've met ever does the little ritual of grounding and connecting your vital strings w/ another dancer... in fact it's been a long time since i'd thought about it.

my final year at evergreen i did an independant contract w/ dorranne to choreograph, design costume and soundscape, and perform a series of dances in various locations around olympia; the japanese garden in the morning, the middle of red sqaure(on campus) at mid day, and an indoor show upstairs in oly world news in the evening.
all of her contractees would meet together w/ her once a week at traditions cafe to discuss the progress of our individual projects. which was itself a unique way of handling indiviual contracts, and wonderful to have many other students to get and give feedback, and even subtley influence each others' creative processes.
she urged me to attend the seattle butoh festival that year, and participate in workshops. my experiences there opened up my world. and ultimately led me to move to the bay area to study w/ shinichi koga, whom i had met there.

actually it was the news of her passing that caused me to log onto tribe, in hopes of finding more of her students in the bay area

i remember after a few of us had some shakey experiences performing out in the crowds on campus at super satuday, she told us a story of how she once touched a man gently while dancing in public, and he was so freaked out that he punched her, and of another time she and some dancers were hauled out of the mall for performing...
in that light i want to give a guerilla butoh show to her memory, perhaps several. and would like to invite others to join me. to play w/ all the old forms she taught. "hanging bodies", "hungry ghost", "baby in the light", "old dog", etc

I, too was a student of Doranne's around 96-97. I found out about her passing soon after it had happened as I still live in Olympia, and still know several dancers who were in close contact with her. It was quite a shock to hear the news. It still is strange to think of her not in this world. I know that what she has taught me through her teachings of butoh will last me a lifetime. It was something that I recognized, something familiar, and she was the one who made that very plain to see. Even though I haven't danced in almost two years, I can still close my eyes and go to that place, and dance in my internal landscape.

Thank you Kitsune for making this post. Doranne touched many, many people in very deep ways. I have heard there will be a memorial for her sometime this fall, but have not heard of any date yet. I will make sure and post something here when I find out.

Hello again,
Below is a message of something happening here in Olympia to remember Doranne. I don't know if there will be anything else happening. It seems a special dancing commemeration would be lovely for all of us who learned to move with Butoh in our bodies.


Dear Friends of Doranne,
The following remembrance has been organized to honor Doranne's life. The Evergreen State College is sponsoring the film. Her sister Bettie is organizing and giving the reception on behalf of the family. She personally invites you and hopes you will be able to join us. The college sent out the following announcement.
Peace & Love,
Judith Gabriele


Please reserve the afternoon of Saturday, November 17, 2007 beginning at noon for the Olympia premiere of Gypsy Caravan (a film still in theatrical release). The film will be shown at Capitol Theater (206 5th Avenue S.E.), followed by a reception offered by her sister, Bettie Wuthrich, from 2:30-4:30 at the Heritage Room (604 Water Street, next to the Water Street Café).


The Evergreen community suffered a significant loss in July when Doranne Crable died. Her friends and relatives respect her wishes not to have a formal memorial on campus but also realize that our community needs to honor her passing and her life. We invite you to help celebrate Doranne's life by joining us for a screening of a very special film, Gypsy Caravan, which documents the music and spirit of a group of people from countries that Doranne had been to or planned to visit in her never-ending quest for new experiences and knowledge. The film's director had originally titled the film, When the road bends - tales of a gypsy caravan, that is derived from the Romani proverb about how to cope when life doesn't deal you a straight hand. Doranne had been looking forward to teaching in The Gypsy Road: A Study of the Roma this fall and was surrounded by books, music, and images as she prepared for her class during her treatments for lung cancer. Her love of dance, song, a passionate story, and a good laugh will be felt again as we watch this film together.