Toyota Choreography Award 2006
Discovering Choreographic Leaders for the Next Generation

For information on the "Toyota Choreography Award," please contact:
The Toyota Choreography Award Secretariat
4-34-18-213, Nishi-shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0023
Tel: +81 (0)3-3373-1166
E-mail: t-award@abox9.so-net.ne.jp

Makoto ENDA
Director of Makoto Cluv, Uniform number: 45, bone mineral density: 101%.  Performed in composer Mizushima Kazue's early theatrical works from 1992.  Joined Kim Itoh + the Glorious Future at its start in 1995.  Formed "Makoto Cluv" in 2001 and became its first director.  Selected as a residential artist of Session House in 2004.  Awarded Grand Prize of Dance Bazaar Award section in Tokyo Competition 2005.


Mariko OKAMOTO
Dance has always been a part of her everyday life. Making full use of her body that is sensitive to texture and quality, she carefully scoops up moments of dance that suddenly appear around her while being awake or sleeping.  She is currently developing a collaboration unit "botangmo" with artist Saori Matsumoto and composer Takmi Ikeda.  To develop the individuals' ways of expressions dealing with the body, things and sound, the members create works in which each element is in harmony with others.  She was a dancer of Kim Itoh + the Glorious Future from 1998 to 2001.  She won the ST Spot Labo 20 Award in 1999 and a grand prize of the Dance Bazaar Award section in Tokyo Competition 2004.  After winning the French Embassy Award for Young Choreographer in Yokohama Dance Collection R Solo x Duo Competition in 2005, she went to France for six months.  During her stay, she performed "sputnik*gilu" at Maison de la culture du Japon in Paris and L'ecole superieure des beaux-arts de Tours in Tours.


Kitamari
Born in 1983 and raised in Osaka.  Graduated from Visual and Performing Arts Department in Kyoto University of Art and Design.  After dancing under butoh dancer Masami YURABE, she performed in and outside Japan as a member of "Sennichimae blue sky dance club" from 2001 to 2005 using the name "Suzume".  Since founding her company "KIKIKIKIKIKI" whilst in college in 2003, she has organized, directed and choreographed all of her works.  She and her company have been actively giving performances, such as JCDN "We're gonna go dancing!!" at Kyoto Art Theater (Studio 21) in 2005 and "Platform" at Itami AI Hall in 2006.


Masahiro KOHAMA
He was known as "BOKUDES" for his appearances in Philippe Decoufle's IRIS, NIBROLL and Yuuenchi-saisei-zigyoudan amongst others.  He won Kirin Art Award Encouragement Prize and ST spot Labo Award for his "Flying saucer man" in 2001.  He participated in "BOKUDEX" at Rencontres Choregraphiques Internationales de Seine-Saint-Denis, Yokohama platform in 2004.  He founded "team MEGANE" in 2005.  In his work, the body, animated cartoon images, and other things are merged, and which brings out the character of his global view in which grooving feeling and languidness drift.  He belongs to Office ONE-TWO-THREE.
http://www6.plala.or.jp/BOKUDEATH/


Yutaka JORAKU
Born in 1976 in Kanagawa, he moved to Toyama in 1998 and immersed himself in traditional crafts and temples.  Moved to Hiroshima in 2000 and started "Shintai Hyogen Circle".  His talent was spotted in JCDN "We're gonna go Dancing!" in 2003, and later participated in various events such as "Contemporary Dance in Shin-sekai" in Osaka and "Azumabashi Dance Crossing," in Tokyo.  He organized participatory dance project as an invited artist in Yokohama Triennale 2005.  He forms something similar to dance out of actions such as some men bumping against each other, short entertainment acts and gymnastics with partners. At present, he is a temporary teacher at school for physically handicapped children.


Tsuyoshi SHIRAI
Born in Iida, Nagano Prefecture in 1976, he started dancing in 1995 while he was a student at Industrial Design Division, Faculty of Engineering at Chiba University.  Performed in the works of Kim Itoh + the Glorious Future from 1996 through 2000.  Founded "Study of Live works BANETO" in 1998.  He was awarded Prix d'auteur Du Conseil General de la Seine-Saint-Denis and the National Advisory Panel Award simultaneously in 2000 with his dance work "Living Room - the room of sand -".  As a solo work, he presented "mass, slide, &".  at Theatre Tram, Tokyo in 2004.  Between 2004 and 2005, he performed in "History of Soldier", choreographed by Yuri NG in Hong Kong.  He danced a duo with Kim Itoh in 2005 in "Forbidden Colors", choreographed by Itoh.  He was awarded the Best Newcomer in 2005 at the Dance Critic Society of Japan Award 2004.


Masako YASUMOTO
Started creating work in 2000.  She received the National Advisory Panel Award for "How to undress a heart-insect version" at the Rencontres Choregraphiques Internationales de Seine-Saint-Denis Yokohama platform in 2004.  In the same year, she also received the Excellent Award in the Dance Bazaar Award section in Tokyo Competition for her "MeMegoto."


Zakuro YAMAGA
Born and raised in Maebashi, Gunma prefecture. During his childhood, he liked moving his body in any way he pleases.  He started learning dance when he was much older. After performing locally, he participated in JCDN "We're gonna go Dancing!!" in 2002, and was given opportunities to dance solo at ST Spot, die pratze, along with other places.  He enjoys being alone, although he sometimes feels lonely at night. But such feelings become the themes for his dance works.  He performed in Ho Ho-Do's piece as a dancer this March and challenged dancing duo.  He is regularly giving dance workshops for mentally handicapped children and their mothers, which he enjoys very much.




Janet ARCHER, director of Dance City Newcastle, UK:
After growing up in Nagoya and Sao Paulo, Janet was trained in theater at the Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff. She then spent time at both the London School of Contemporary Dance and the Rambert Academy.  After working as a freelance dancer and choreographer, Archer formed Nexus Dance in 1986. In 1991, she took up the post Director at Dance City, the National Dance Agency for the North East of England. Since that time she has pioneered a wide range of regional initiatives, social regeneration projects, and professional and community dance projects.  In 1998 and 2000, she organized British Dance Edition, which is one of ANDA (the Association of National Dance Agencies) projects, and the biennale showcase of UK dance.  She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a board member of various organizations such as Dance UK and ANDA.
Dance City Newcastle URL www.dancecity.co.uk


Tatsuro ISHII, dance critic:
Tatsuro Ishii worked as a lecturer at University of Hawaii, then a scholar in the Department of Drama and Performance Studies at the Graduate School of New York University.  He then became a professor at Keio University.  He is a scholar of dance and body culture, and also interested in dance, circus, Asian shamanism and traditional performances, body culture viewed from sexuality/gender and de-territorial conduct. In 2002, he sat on the jury for the 14th International Experimental Theater Festival in Cairo and from 2001 to 2004, he was a selection committee member for the Asahi Performing Arts Award.  In 2005, he was a Chairman of Korea-Japan Friendship in Dance Committee in Japan at the National Theater of Korea in Seoul.  His books include "Essays on Female Transvestism" (Seikyu-sha, 1994), "Sexuality in Transvestism: new edition" (Shinjuku Shobo, 2003), "Asia, Cosmos of Body and Journey" (Seikyu-sha, 1995), "Dance and Acrobatics" (Seikyu-sha, 1999) and "Filmology of the Circus" (Shinjuku Shobo, 1994).


Hidenaga OTORI, theater critic:
Hidenaga Otori was born in Benten-jima Island, Shizuoka Prefecture in 1948. From 2002 to 2004, he was the artistic director of International Theater Festival Laokoon (Kampnagel, Hamburg).  He was a member of Bush Global Advisory Committee of Walker Art Center in Minneapolis and a judge for International Experimental Theater Festival in Cairo.  He was an editor of performing arts magazines such as "Butai Geijutsu (Performing Arts)."  His books include "The 20th Century Polyphonic Theater-The Art and the World as a History" (Asahi Shimbun-sha, 1998), and translations of Tadeusz Kantor "Essays and Manifestos - Let the Artists Die!" (Sakuhin-sha, 1990) and Andrei Tarkovskij "Zapechatlennoe Vremya (Sculpting in Time)" (Kinema Jumpo-sha, 1988).  He is currently working on the translation of Ilya Kabakov's autobiography (in terms of art and lives of unofficial artists of Soviet Union from 60's), which is scheduled to be published by Misuzu Shobo in 2006.


Yoko SHIOYA, director of performing arts, Japan Society in New York, USA:
Yoko Shioya became Director of the Society's Performing Arts department in 2003.  Since joining the Society in 1997, she has expanded collaborative projects with American cultural organizations and universities to introduce Japanese performing artists and also launched new initiatives, including commissioning project, an artists' residency project and a workshop series.  Also known in Japan as a writer/researcher on the public and private arts support systems in the U.S. and Japan, Ms. Shioya has been invited to speak at numerous symposia, lectures and TV programs presented by the Agency for Cultural Affairs of the Japanese government, Keidanren, the Academy of Cultural Economics and the Japan Council of Performers' Organizations, among others.  In 1998, her first book, New York: How the City and Its Artists Coexist, was published by Maruzen Publishing Co.  She has been a regular contributor to arts columns on performing arts and exhibitions for the Asahi newspaper, and is currently a committee member of The Bessie Award.  Ms. Shioya holds BAS in musicology and dance history from Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music.
Japan Society URL www.japansociety.org


Diane BOUCHER, director of O Vertigo | O Vertigo Creation Center, Quebec, Canada
Diane Boucher produced the multi-disciplinary program of films, music, dance, and theatre at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts from 1982 to 1989. In 1983, she co-founded the Festival of international de nouvelle danse (FIND).  She was its vice-president and a programming committee member, and also served as an associate director from 1989 to 2002.  Since 2003, she has worked as a consultant for dance companies, presenters, and international festivals.  She has held various posts for government agencies and advisory committees for the arts, and has been a judge for several cultural and government institutions.  Diane Boucher has been particularly involved in promoting and presenting new dance works.  Through her activities, while making significant contributions to building the reputation of Canadian and Québécois dance outside of Canada, she has brought about collaborations with many local, national, and international institutions, and has cultivated partnership relations with different organizations all over the world through the worldwide networking.
O Vertigo URL www.overtigo.com

2005(161 entries)

Finalists:

Takiko IWABUCHI, Mika KUROSAWA, Yukio SUZUKI, Maho SUMIJI (Sat. July 9) Mika ARASHIKI (group), Shinobu UTSUNOMIYA, Miyuki KAIDA, Midori GODA, Saori TAKAHASHI, Miyuki TOKUI and Emi MIYOSHI, Toshiki OKADA, Tomoyo OKADA (Sun. July 10)

2004(191 entries)

Finalists:

Yuko KASEKI, Miwako TAKANO, Masako YASUMOTO, Mikuni YANAIHARA (Sat., July 3) Mika ARASHIKI / Mari FUKUTOME, Kakuya OHASHI, Yutaka JORAKU, Yoko HIGASHINO (Sun., July 4)

2003(209 entries)

Finalists:

Toshiko OKA, Yumiko HAMATANI, Taro BOVE, Kota YAMAZAKI (Sat., July 19) Shintaro O-UE, Ikuyo KURODA, Tsuyoshi SHIRAI, Sadayuki HAYASHI (Sun., July 20)

2002(204 entries)

Finalists:

Yukiko AMANO, Chie ITO, Akiko ENDO, Osamu JAREO + Misako TERADA (Fri., July 5) Tsuyoshi SHIRAI, Natsuko TEZUKA, Mikuni YANAIHARA, Un YAMADA (Sat., July 6)