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SACHIYO ITO & COMPANY RECENT PAST EVENTS
Salon Series No. 31
Topic: Modern Poetry and Interpretation through Dance: Kotaro Takamura and Chieko-Sho
March 16 (Sunday) 2008, 3:00pm-4:00pm
Location: Tenri Cultural Institute, 43A West 13th Street, between 5th& 6th Avenue, NYC
This program explores modern poetry in the 20th century, focusing on the work of Kotaro Takamura. Also a dance choreographed to Chieko-sho, a selection of poems written by Takamura, Chieko: Genso will be performed to demonstrate a contemporary example of the fusion of dance and poetry. The guest speaker is Hiroaki Sato, a leading translator of Japanese poetry to English. Singers to accompany Chieko: Genso will be Mary Myers and Beth Griffith.
Salon Series No. 30  
Topic: Poetry and Dance: Court Poetry and Dance
January 27 (Sunday) 2008, 3:00pm-4:00pm
Location: Tenri Cultural Institute, 43A West 13th Street, between 5th& 6th Avenue, NYC
Special Guest: Lewis Cook, Ph. D.
Waka, the court poetry of the 11-13th century Japan, served as the central vehicle for many of the Noh plays produced in the 14th century. In this Salon Series, Professor Cook will give a brief survey of waka, and discuss “Eguchi,” one example of Noh based on waka poems and episodes about the legendary waka poet Saigyo. Also, a kabuki dance, entitled “Shigure Saigyo” (Saigyo in the Autumn Rain) will be performed by Yoshiro Kono and Sachiyo Ito.
Lewis Cook, Ph. D is a Professor of Japanese and Chinese literature at Queens College1994. He worked as a journalist in Hong Kong, and an editor/ copywriter in Tokyo. His published translations include: Collection of Ancient and Modern Poems (Kokinshu), New Collection of Ancient and Modern Poems (Shinkokinshu), and Tales of Ise.
Gala Masako at the National Museum of Dance, Saratoga, NY
August 4, 2007 7:00pm
Young People’s Concert Series at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA
August 1, 2007 11:00am
Japanese Classical Dance, Interactive Performance and Demonstration at the
Newark Museum, Newark, NJ
July 27, 2007 1:00pm
Free workshop - Basic Nihon Buyo (Japanese Classical Dance)
Topic: Use of the fan; fundamentals of Nihon Buyo
Location: Tenri Cultural Institute, 43A West 13th Street, between 5th & 6th Avenue, NYC
July 25, 2007 (Wednesday) 6:00 pm–7:00pm
Salon Series No. 29
Topic: Okinawan Dance and Martial Arts
June 24, 2007 (Sunday) 3:00 pm– 4:00pm
Location: Tenri Cultural Institute, 43A West 13th Street, between 5th & 6th Avenue, NYC
Special Guest: Masahiko Honma
Salon Series No. 29 will examine closely the relationship between Okinawan Dance, particularly the male dance, called Otoko Odori, and martial arts, with a focus on karate. The discussions and demonstration will include: the basic stance, posture, Kata (the movement patterns) that have influenced the choreography in the dance, the breath work, and also the mental attitude, necessary in the development of the arts. The special guest will be Masahiko Honma, Chief Director of Karatedo Honma Dojo in New York.
Sachiyo Ito will perform Meh-nu-hama, and Takadera Manzai, from Otoko Odori repertory of Okinawan Dance.
Salon Series offers a series of informative public programs and educational lectures, lecture-demonstrations, and performances aimed at those interested in deepening their knowledge of the
performing arts of Japan. They are held on Sunday afternoons, three times a year. Refreshments are served during the Q/A period.
Salon Series No. 29 is supported, in part, by Fund for Creative Communities, administered by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council.
Salon Series No. 28
May 6, 2007 (Sunday) 3:00pm - 4:00pm
Tenri Cultural Institute, 43A West 13th Street, between 5th & 6th Aves., NYC
Topic: The Origin of Dance and Japanese Mythology
Special Guests:
Tenri Gagaku Society with Louise Sasaki, Noriyuki Sasaki,
Karl Spicer,
and Mutsumi Takamizu
Salon Series No. 28 will present Gagaku, the Japanese court music, with a talk on the history
and tradition of Gagaku by members of Tenri Gagaku Society, and also a music composition based
on Gagaku played by Karl Spicer on Shakuhachi and Mutsumi Takamizu on Koto. The program will include
Etenraku, Ichikotsu, and a choreographed work by Sachiyo Ito as a contemporary interpretation.
Salon Series No. 28 is supported, in part, by Fund for Creative Communities, administered by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council.
Sakura Matsuri at Brooklyn Botanic Garden (the Cherry Esplanade Main Stage)
April 28 (Saturday), 1:30pm
Japanese Classical dance
April 29 (Sunday), 2007 1:00pm
Okinawan Dance
Poetry in Motion: Japanese Dance and Music at Towson University, MD
February 24, 2007 (Saturday), 8pm
Salon Series No. 27
February 4, 2007 (Sunday) 3pm-4pm
Topic: Comparison of Theater and Dance Forms between Japan and China
Special Guest: Anna Chen Wu, President of the Kunqu Society
Place: Tenri Cultural Institute, 43A West 13th Street, between 5th & 6th Avenue, NYC
Tickets: $10 (Student/Senior $7)
Information and Tickets: Sachiyo Ito and Company at 212-627-0265 (Tel/Fax)
The special guest for Salon Series No. 27 is Anna Chen Wu, President of the Kunqu Society, specializing in Kunqu theater, the theater tradition
older than the popular Bejing Opera. She is a performer of “young refined female” role type, and also a scholar and author on classical
Chinese theatrical arts. Ms. Wu and Sachiyo Ito will present a comparative demonstration on traditions and techniques of dance and theater
forms of Japan and China. Members of the Kunqu Society will give a performance as well as Ms. Wu.
50th Anniversary Concert: Japanese Classical, Contemporary and Okinawan Dance
September 30, 8pm, 2006
The Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts, Pace University, NYC
Commemorating the 50th anniversary of Sachiyo Ito’s debut in Japan, Sachiyo Ito and Company will present a concert of Japanese classical, contemporary, and Okinawan dance on September 30, 2006 at
the Michael Schimmel Center for Performing Arts at Pace University, New York City. The concert marks the 25th Anniversary of Sachiyo Ito and Company as a not-for-profit organization and the 34th year of performances by Sachiyo Ito in New York.
The company has chosen rarely performed and significant dances for the occasion. All members of the company participate in the opening auspicious work, Pine Tree, which symbolizes prosperity and longevity, most appropriate for this event. Other highlights include the lively Ayatsuri Sambaso (Marionette Sambaso), performed by Sachiyo Ito and the guest artist from Japan, Shogo Fujima. In contrast is the dramatic Shigure Saigyo (Saigyo in the Autumnal Rain), also performed by Shogo Fujima and Sachiyo Ito. Shigure Saigyo, a Kabuki dance created in 1864 based on the 14th century Noh play, “Eguchi,” recounts an episode of the great Japanese poet Saigyo with a courtesan who becomes a venerable Boddhisattva. The waka poems exchanged between these two are well known in the history of Japanese literature.
The second part of the program consists of two revivals choreographed and performed by Ito:
Moon Child on her childhood at the time of her debut, and Moonlight. The third number, Warabi Gam (Child-God),
is accompanied by live Okinawan music and two singers.
Other works of note on the program are Okinawan dances Hama-chidori (Plovers on the Beach) and Kariyuhsi no Mai (Celebration Dance) performed by five guest artists from Okinawa and Kanayo performed by Ito. Some contemporary works among the Okinwan repertory were choreographed in the late 19th century about 25 years ago by Ito’s mentor, Takako Sato. The program’s climax is Shishimai (Lion Dance), performed by two strong male guest dancers from Okinawa. Lion dances and dragon dances are prevalent as auspicious pieces in Asia, but any audience can appreciate the unique Okinawan lion dance, rarely performed in the west.
Sachiyo Ito was the first artist to present Okinawan dance in New York City in 1978. For more then two decades her company has been the only New York based professional dance company to present Okinawan dance and the lesser known dances of Japan.
Sachiyo Ito and Company has received a great deal of critical acclaim for such significant performances. The New York Times writes, “Miss Ito’s gestures are carefully crafted and purged of any excess. Unhurriedly, they advance the story and create the mood with exceptional grace.”
Japanese Dance and Okinawan dance
August 12, 2006, 7:30pm & 8:30pm
Untermyer Park, Yonkers, NY
Traditional Dance Intensive Workshop: from Edo, Kyoto, to Okinawa
May 31-June 2, 2006 6-9pm, June 3-June 4, 2006, 12-3pm
Japan Society, NYC
Salon Series No. 26
May 21, 2006 3:00 - 4:00pm
Topic: Contemporary Okinawan Dance: Creative Dances in the 20th and 21st Centuries
Special Guests: New York Okinawa Sanshin Club
Sakura Matsuri (Cherry Blossom Festival) at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden
April 29 and 30 (Saturday, Sunday), 2006, 1:15 - 2:15pm
Japanese Classical and Okinawan Dance
Free Children's Dance Workshop at 3:30 - 4:15pm on the 29th.
Arts of Japan Celebration at the Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C.
March 31 (Friday), 2006, 6:00 - 7:00pm
Japanese Classical and Okinawan Dance
Salon Series No. 25
March 26, 2006 3:00 - 4:00pm
Topic: Rituals as Sources of Creative Dance, and Comparison of Dance Forms: Korean, Japanese, and Okinawan Dance
Special guest: Sue Yen Park, Director of Korean Traditional Performing Arts Association.
Salon Series No. 24
January 29, 2006 3:00 - 4:00pm
Topic: Geisha, Courtesan, and Fugen Boddhisattva
Salon Series No. 24 will explore the arts and the social roles of geisha, courtesans, and priestesses, and their relationship with Fugen Bosatsu, one of the Boddhisattvas, who helps sentient beings toward enlightment. Sachiyo Ito will perform a dance performed by geisha, and another dance depicting a geisha, a courtesan, and Fugen Bosatsu. She will also give a talk discussing their close relationship—a unique cultural phenomenon of Japan. Dances in the program will include: Kurokami, Kishi no Yanagi, and an excerpt from Shigure Saigyo.
Japanese Dance tour of South America. Sponsored by the Japan Foundation.
Performances:
December 1, Santiago, Chile. Universidad de Santiago de Chile. Avenida Alameda Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins 3363.
December 3, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Centro Okinawense en la Argentina, Av. San Juan 2651, Capital Federal.
December 5, Asuncion, Paraguay. Gran Teatro del Banco Central.
December 6 1:00pm, Montevideo, Uruguay. TV appearance.
December 7 9:00pm, Montevideo, Uruguay. SODRE National Theatre, Balzo Hall.
Salon Series No. 23
October 16, 2005 3:00 - 4:00pm
Topic: Renku and Dance: An Afternoon of Improvisation with Linked Verses and Dance
Following rules of Renku (linked verses) established in the 16th century, haiku and dance are linked and alternated, as one inspires the other, and composed as an improvisation.
Special Guests: Four poets from the Haiku Society of America, Terry Ann Carter, Penny Harter, William Higginson, and John Stevenson, will join the program. Two musicians, Yumi Kurosawa and James Nyoraku Schlefer, will also offer improvisations.
Salon Series No. 22
July 10 (Sunday), 2005, 3-4pm
Topic: An Art as an Expression of Ethnic Identity: A Case of Okinawan Court Drama
Place: Tenri Cultural Institute, 43A West 13th Street, New York City
Program of Okinawan Dance
June 25 (Saturday), 2005, 3pm
Place: Bruno Walter Auditorium, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Lincoln Center,
New York City
Salon Series No. 21
May 22 (Sunday), 2005, 3-4pm
Topic: An Illusion of Gender Changes in the Japanese Theater and Dance
Place: Tenri Cultural Institute, 43A West 13th Street, New York City
Sakura Matsuri (Cherry Blossom Festival) at Brooklyn Botanic Garden
April 30 and May 1 (Saturday, Sunday), 2005, 1:15pm
Japanese Classical Dance/Okinawan Dance
32nd New York Season Concert
Japanese Classical, Contemporary, and Okinawan Dance
September 18 (Saturday), 2004
The Michael Schimmel Center for Performing Arts at Pace University
Commemorating the 150th anniversary of the inception of the relations between the United
States and Japan, Sachiyo Ito and Company will present a concert of the 32nd New York season. Featured will be a rare performance of the kabuki dance drama Onatsu Kyoran (Onatsu, the Insane), with guest artist from Japan, Shogo Fujima; and two Okinawan dances accompanied by the New York Okinawa Sanshin Club: Chibari Daiko and Chondara.
Onatsu Kyoran is one of several epochal dance dramas that were created in the new era fostered by the opening of Japan in 1868, whose impetus was initiated by the Treaty of Friendship between the USA and Japan in 1854. The program will also include Night Pond, choreographed by Ito to Shakuhachi music composed by Geoffrey Lependorf; and Morning Song, a premiere, choreographed by Mr. Fujima to contemporary koto music by Tadao Sawai — both accompanied live.
Japanese Dance and Okinawan Dance
August 14 (Saturday), 2004, 7:30pm
Untermyer Park, Yonkers, New York
Salon Series No. 20
July 11 (Sunday), 2004, 3-4pm
Topic: Modernity in Tradition
Special Guest: Rajika Puri, Indian dancer
Place: Tenri Cultural Institute, 43A West 13 th Street New York City
Salon Series No. 20 will compare the traditional dance forms and
departure works choreographed by Rajika Puri and Sachiyo Ito. The dancers
will perform together at the end honoring each culture.
This performance was made possible in part by the Manhattan Community Arts
Fund/New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, administered by the Lower
Manhattan Cultural Council.
Japanese Classical Dance with Koto and Shakuhachi
June 9 (Wednesday), 2004, 7:00pm
Place: Philadelphia Art Museum, Philadelphia, PA
Salon Series No. 19
May 23 (Sunday), 2004, 4-5 pm
Topic: Okinawan Music and Dance: the Original and Adaptation
Special Guest: New York Sanshin Club of Okinawa
Place: Tenri Cultural Institute, 43A West 13th Street New York City
Sakura Matsuri (Cherry blossom Festival) at Brooklyn Botanic Garden
May 1 and 2 (Saturday, Sunday), 1:15 pm
Okinawan Dance and Music
Salon Series No. 18
March 28, (Sunday), 2004, 3-4 pm
Topic: Aesthetics of Insanity in the Greek Drama and Japanese Theater
Special Guest: Prof. John Chioles, New York University
Place: Tenri Cultural Institute, 43A West 13th Street, New York City
Salon Series No.18 will present Aesthetics of Insanity in the Greek
Drama and Japanese Theater, which will explore its underlying meaning of
insanity in the theater traditions by comparing that of Japanese theater
with the Greek drama. The presentation will focus on the Japanese dance and
drama genre called Kyoran-mono (Insanity dances and plays). Onatsu Kyoran,
to be the featured work in the September concert, is one of most popular
examples. Prof. Chioles will discuss about Greek dramas such works as Medea
with specific reference to the subject. Dr. Ito will perform a selection
from Onatsu Kyoran to illustrate her remarks.
John Chioles is a theater director, whose work ISMENE was seen recently at
the State Theater in Greece. He teaches Comparative Literature and Drama
at New York University, and is also a writer; his more recent book is
Aeschylus: Mythic Theatre, Political Voice.
Dolls Festival
March 3 (Wednesday), 2004, 7 pm-7:30 pm
Lecture Demonstration on Japanese Classical Dance
Place: Tenri Cultural Institute, 43A West 13th Street New York City
Salon Series No. 17
October 26, (Sunday), 2003, 3-4 pm
Topic: Transformations: Gender Changes in Japanese Dance
Place: Tenri Cultural Institute at 43A West 13th Street, New York City
The topic of Salon Series No. 17 is
gender changes in Japanese classical dance. Sachiyo Ito will give a
demonstration on technique and stylistic differences between female and male
roles in Kabuki dance. Sachiyo Ito and Company will perform excerpts from
Azuma Hakkei, Hokushu, and Danjuro Musume.
Japanese Classical Dance and Music -- Family Program
Saturday, July 26, 2003; 2 pm
Uris Auditorium, Metropolitan Museum New York, NY
Come and join us in the Bon Odori dancing with live music!
Folk Dance and Music with audience participation
Wednesday, July 23, 2003; 7 pm
Wavehill, Riverdale, Bronx , New York
Come and join us in the Bon Odori dancing with live music!
An Evening of Renku and Dance
Friday, June 27, 2003; 8 pm
Japan Society at 333 East 47th Street, New York City
In this evening of literary and performing arts, Sachiyo Ito and members
of the Haiku Society of America interpret the Japanese tradition of
linked verses, called Renku, using dance, accompanied and interspersed
with music, as a basis for composing haiku as well as a means of linking
haiku. Following each dance segment, participating poets as well as
members of the audience will be invited to contribute haiku with the
goal of creating a communal work of poetic performance.
Haiku and Walking Meditation
Friday-Sunday, June 20 through 22, 2003
Dai Bosatsu Zen Monastery, Livingston Manor, Catskills, New York.
Join Sachiyo Ito for a workshop to compose haiku and link this creative
expression with the inspiration of movement and walking meditation at
the beautiful Zen Monastery. Participants of every level will explore
their creative and inner beings in this unique, communal experience.
Three Women in the Japanese Classical Dance
Thursday-Saturday, May 15-17, 2003; 8 pm
Three solos performed by Sachiyo Ito:
Fuji Musume (Wistaria Maiden), Mitsumen Komori (Three Mask Lullaby),
both are kabuki dances, and Tamatori Ama (Fisher Woman) in Jiuta-mai
style.
Poet’s Den, The Poietis Theater
309 East 108th Street, New York City Between 1st and 2nd Avenue
For information on concerts, workshops and classes, contact:
Sachiyo Ito & Company
405 West 23rd Street, Ste 4G
New York, NY 10011
Tel/Fax (212) 627-0265
www.dancejapan.com
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