I Lost My Daughter Jamie 3 Years Ago...

Dear Mrs. Stern,

I was so sad to hear of the loss of your daughter Sharoni. Please except my deepest condolences.

I lost my daughter Jamie 3 years ago. She was very good friends with many of the girls from Hillel. My daughter was involved in what I considered a cult. She married her childhood sweetheart. He married her for her money, and her kindness and sweet heart. She was very intelligent, with a with a business degree and was a registered  nurse. He manipulated her for years and got her involved in drugs and put heroin in pot without her knowing. We did not know she was in trouble . We found out he was using in drugs at the same time he was in medical school. We asked Jamie if she was involved but she said no. We put him in a private rehab facility. He never was said Jamie was in trouble. He told her he would get better and she would be fine. Two years later Jamie called and came home. She still did not tell us she needed help. She got divorced because her was a bad man and she finally realized it. Several months later we discovered Jamie had a serious drug problem. Jamie spent almost 8 months in rehab. She was loved by everyone there, and so respected. Two months after she left rehab she had an accidental overdose. They told us she had such a tiny amount of drug in her system but her body was so clean that she died right away. Her x husband knew she was getting drugs and never tried to stop her or call us. There is such evil in the world.

We worked with the DEA to try to get this bad man under control and the people who sell drugs.

Three years have passed and there is not 1 day that I do not miss or think about my Jamie. I am so grateful that god put her in my life and I feel so blessed for the time that I had with her. 

I hope in time you and your family will find some peace.

My deepest sympathy,

(Anonymous)

This is not the first time...

This not the first time a Naropa faculty member created such problems. It was in fact much more prevalent in Naropa's early days when even its founder ran amoc. Read "When I Was Cool" by Sam Kashner.

Your clarification explains KK's behavior when I and a colleague talked with Sharoni after a performance at Cornish in Seattle in summer 2011.

I studied at Naropa only as an older student who refused to allow teachers to be god-like.

For what it is worth I see butoh as a very dark form of dance. Having said that Sharoni was one the best I have seen, and I always felt that when she got there she gave Naropa's program validity. Until Sharoni that program was run by an egotistical idiot.


Note: Writer's name has been removed to protect their identity.

My Heart Goes Out…

Tibor,

My heart goes out to you and your family. I feel your grieving process so strongly, and I think of you often. I want to thank you for posting this letter with such profound updates. Lots of this new information I was unaware of and it literally shakes me to the bone. I feel all of this destruction now more then ever, and I want for you to know that I support you and Hana in whatever ways that I possibly can.

I am reminded often of how supportive you and Hana were for me this past summer. It's chilling for me to reflect on to be honest. Here you were mourning the tragic death of your daughter, yet you were so fully present for a stranger in desperate need of a validation to live. Your e-mails and phone calls to me meant more to me then perhaps you know. You both were there for me in ways that my own parents couldn't be there for me. For this I am forever grateful.
Honestly, I never liked KK myself, even before any of this information on him became public. What he taught was just boring and of no value in my opinion, however he did have a mesmerizing stage presence....and this is perhaps that only element that attracted me to him in the first place....but I soon found out first hand that what he taught was quite superficial. You can trust that I will be discouraging folks from working with Kan, and will pass along your words in full justice and memory of Sharoni.

Happy Holidays to you and your loving family.

Many Blessings.

Note: Writer's name has been removed to protect their identity.

A Katsura Kan Cult Survivor...

Dear Hana and Tibi,

I don't know if you realized who am I in our short acquaintance...It's very hard for me to stand, hear, watch this whole tragedy. My heart aches to think of what are you going through. I know your pain,and feel it in my body. Sharoni's story shook and is still shaking my soul deeply in ways and forms that are hard for me to describe.This story had disturbed me both emotional and mentally, and not because of my acquaintance with the devil "master Katsura Kan". It bothers me and hurt me, and I identify with Sharoni's world and wishes, as I told you already, we both desired the same thing. Creative fulfillment of the depth of the soul. I also thought that through Butoh I will achieve this dream. It's hard for me to write to you, only yesterday I had met Hana, the special and charming woman, I can not endure it and can not cooperate with you, I am not strong enough to contain this. After the meeting with Hana I felt sad. Your pain and the war against the "Master" revives in me places and pains that I can't absorb this time in my life. I am not strong (like -anonymous-). My nerves are exposed I have no protection and this, how should I put it, is dangerous for me (at least right now). As I said I have fear from this monster and I don't know exactly why? I told Hana my experiences with this distorted man. I am asking you, if you are going to use this, please don't mention my name as Hana promised me. I know that maybe I disappointed you but for personal reasons I can't stand this pain.Yesterday it was clear to me that I was going to talk to the reporter, but after a sleepless night ( I slept an hour and a half) I understood that I am not able to tackle it. It revives in me an old pain that successfully I put out to sleep for some time. At least now I can't be with you, when I feel better I will contact you. I hope you can
understand and accept my wish.
Love,

(anonymous)

Note: Writer's name has been removed to protect their identity.