SELECTED QUOTES

“Miss Ito appeared to mix styles, combining Japanese formality with the fluidity of western modern dance. Movements were delicate and it seemed as if Miss Ito were about to dissolve into mist with each step.”
The New York Times

“Sachiyo Ito, an expressive and powerful performer, is, at the same time, touchingly delicate.”
The Village Voice

“Ito has achieved mastery of [traditional] forms, absorbing the necessary discipline and techniques. Ito was a model of control and refinement.”
Dance Magazine

"Sachiyo Ito has a rare understanding of the culture of her country, and she is able to intrigue and enchant with her knowledge and her artistry."
Dance Perspectives

Sachiyo Ito is a graceful dancer/choreographer/teacher of quiet power.
Attitude Winter 2002

Sharing her art by a flick of her fan and flutter of her kimono sleeves, Sachiyo Ito is like a bird. Graceful, refined, yet not the least bit fragile. From her native Tokyo, she flew to New York 32 years ago.
New York Sun 2004

The same dancer, however, evoked a crane, starkly and softly disembodied. Somehow Ito herself seems to disappear when she dances—it is one of her most lasting signatures.
Dance Magazine March 1998

This dancing (Dance of the Crane) is a magic in its understatement and complete attention to detail.
The closing piece for this program is a remarkable signature piece for Ms. Ito’s dancing and acting. It is a poem in movement, and truly shows the wide range of Ms. Ito’s knowledge and abilities.
Attitude 1997/98 Winter

CONCERT REVIEWS

Peace Quest, Personal And Global
The New York Times

Sachiyo Ito and Company offered a "Concert Dedicated to World Peace" on Saturday afternoon at the Clark Studio Theater and made the program artistically meaningful as well as idealistically honorable.

This New York-based troupe of dancers and musicians presents works in both Japanese classical and contemporary styles. The matinee harmoniously united them.

Ms. Ito danced two solos. In the whimsical "Moon Child," which she also choreographed, she gazed wistfully upward, as if longing for the moon. And in this production, designed by Robert Mitchell, the moon came down to her in the form of a glittering silver ball, which she played with and cuddled.

"Yamanba (The Old woman of the Mountain)" was a scene from a Kabuki play of 1848. Here Ms. Ito portrayed an elderly woman bidding her son farewell. Her careful steps, turns of the head and side glances invested the slightest actions with dignity.

In "An Invitation to Bell," a production emphasizing processional movements for Ms. Ito and for an ensemble, Jennifer Kato read poems by Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese monk and peace activist. Many celebrated a spirit of renewal, and the choreography was appropriately calm. But poems about violence and tyranny inspired jagged gesticulations from Ms. Ito.

Then order was restored and the audience was invited to join the cast in a meditative walk onstage. Most accepted, stepping serenely while guided by the sounds of a gong and a bell. The unhurried progress became a pilgrimage into peace.

Jack Anderson, December 14, 1999

ARTICLES

Nihon Buho - Dance is a Mirror Into Japanese Culture  [view article]
The Chopsticks NY (vol. 030, October 2009, page 49)

Sachiyo Ito  [view article]
Dance Magazine, January 2008

PROFILE: Sachiyo Ito  [view article]
New York Sun, July 2007

Sachiyo Ito Reflects on 30 Years of Teaching Japanese Dance in New York  [view article]
Japaneseculture-nyc.com, January 7, 2012

SPECIAL AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

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COMMENDATION OF THE FOREIGN MINISTER OF JAPAN The commendation was officially presented to Sachiyo Ito by Ambassador Motoatsu Sakurai, Consul-General of Japan in New York, at the ceremony for recipients held on September 9, 2008, in New York City. For the last 36 years, Sachiyo Ito has performed classical and modern Japanese dance at over 500 concerts worldwide and has introduced over 3,000 students to the art. Her Salon Series, an educational outreach of lecture and performance, has advanced understanding and respect for Japanese culture. Since 1981 Sachiyo Ito & Co has been dedicated to creating a cultural bridge between the United States and Japan and has contributed to a greater appreciation of Japanese culture and has fostered friendship and understanding between the two countries. Read acceptance speech of Sachiyo Ito at the award ceremony of September 9, 2008. Read the congratulatory letter of the Mayor of New York. The award was also announced by the Japanese Consulate of New York in its September Japan Info.