Media Release
For Immediate Release | June 27, 2017
The Japan Foundation, Sydney presents SPACE & ENNUI, intimate showcases by innovative choreographers from Japan’s contemporary dance scene. For the first time in Australia, prize-winners Teita Iwabuchi and KENTARO!! will present stripped-back solo performances, accompanied by Q&A sessions, in Sydney. The showcases will be respectively held on July 22, 2017 at The Drill Hall and on July 29, 2017 at DanceKool Studio. SPACE & ENNUI is co-presented with Steep Slope Studio and Critical Path.
Teita Iwabuchi’s experimental works meditate on the interaction between space, music and the human body. Often collaborating with musicians and media artists, his choreographic works are influenced by his background in theatre, martial arts and traditional Japanese dance. Iwabuchi’s compositions are developed from the theme of maintaining space between the body and centre of gravity and is based on the martial arts notion of remaining fluid and not creating a fixed point. His prize-winning joint work, Hetero, is reflective of Butoh, a distinctive Japanese dance form that has inspired Australia’s performing arts scene.
KENTARO!! has pushed boundaries in Japan with his unique laid-back hip-hop-influenced datsuryoku-kei (ennui-style) dance movements composed to his original electronic music. His current style, which resonates with younger generations, contains expressive, high-energy movements adapted from his early days in street dancing. KENTARO!! has performed at dance festivals worldwide as a solo dancer and with his company TOKYO ELECTROCK STAIRS.
Iwabuchi and KENTARO!! will also run workshops for experienced and professional dancers and will focus on the choreographers’ respective performing styles.
ABOUT TEITA IWABUCHI
Teita Iwabuchi only started dancing when he entered university, where he studied theatre and Japanese traditional dance (nihon buyo 日本舞踊). Iwabuchi’s strength as a dancer and choreographer lies in his unique incorporation of nihon buyo into Japanese martial arts and butoh. He has trained with the Kazuo Ohno Studio and Dairakudakan, and has danced for productions by Mikuni Yanaihara of Nibroll, Kim Itoh + The Glorious Future Company, and Un Yamada.
ABOUT KENTARO!!
KENTARO!!’s dance career began in junior high school as he grew up learning street dance at a time when hip-hop was still relatively unknown in Japan. It was only after discovering contemporary dance that he decided to choreograph dance theatre pieces which incorporate dramatic elements. KENTARO!! and his dance company, TOKYO ELECTROCK STAIRS, are now well-known for their unique datsuryoku–kei (脱力系; ennui-style) works where slice-of-life meets hip-hop and contemporary dance.
ABOUT CRITICAL PATH
Critical Path is a choreographic research and development centre based at The Drill Hall, a large rehearsal space on the harbour in central Sydney, Australia.
Their mission is to nurture and support independent Australian choreographers to make dance which pushes the boundaries of existing contemporary practice. Critical Path supports choreographers to explore new ways of working, develop new collaborations and engage in debate and critical appreciation of dance.
STEEP SLOPE STUDIO
Steep Slope Studio, also known as Kyunasaka, is a performing arts centre based in Yokohama, Japan. It is a public cultural institution administered and managed by non-profit organisation Art Platform.
Steep Slope Studio houses a performance hall and studios for artists to develop and create new work. They also offer theatre arts residency programs and develop programs that nurture producers and technical staff to support future generations of theatre-makers.
Steep Slope Studio is an art platform dedicated to creating opportunities for conversation between the local community and artists beyond genre and generations.
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Teita Iwabuchi Workshop & Showcase
July 22, 2017 (Saturday)
Workshop: 1:30pm – 4:30pm
Showcase: 5:30pm – 6:30pm (Doors open 5pm)
Venue
Critical Path
The Drill Hall, 1c New Beach Rd
Darling Point NSW 2027
KENTARO!! Workshop & Showcase
July 29, 2017 (Saturday)
Workshop: 2:30pm – 4:30pm
Showcase: 5:30pm – 6:30pm (Doors open 5pm)
Venue
DanceKool Studio
Level 1 / 93 Bathurst Street
(Corner of Bathurst St and Kent Street)
Sydney NSW 2000
Media Enquiries
Jessica Chow
(02) 8239 0055
Showcase Admission
Free, limited capacity.
Bookings recommended, walk-in’s welcome.*
* Due to limited venue space, patrons with bookings will be given priority entry.
Workshop Admission
Free, by application via Critical Path.
Critical Path
(02) 9362 4023
General Enquiries
(02) 8239 0055
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