11th Annual Contemporary Dance Showcase - Phase 2: Japan & East Asia

** Featuring 5 U.S. Debuts **

January 11 & 12 at 7:30 pm

New York, NY -- Japan Society presents the Annual Contemporary Dance Showcase, back for its 11th year with new cutting-edge contemporary dance. For the first time, the showcase expands to present daring works from Japan, Korea and Taiwan, featuring performances by Makotocluv, the award-winning Kingyo, Korean-Japanese soloist Yun Myung Fee, Yong-In Lee of UBIN Dance and Taiwan’s Sun-Shier Dance Theatre. The 11th Annual Contemporary Dance Showcase plays at Japan Society on Friday, January 11 and Saturday, January 12 at 7:30 pm.

Continuing to offer an outstanding selection dance never before seen in the U.S., this year’s Dance Showcase presents a broader range from Japan and East Asian countries. Featured artists and companies from Japan include Makotocluv, founded by Makoto Enda (former member of Kim Itoh + Glorious Future) and known for street performances; award-winning Kingyo, led by Yukio Suzuki who has choreographed for the Tokyo City Ballet and performed with Ko Murobushi's Edge Co.; and Korean-Japanese soloist Yun Myung Fee, whose works draw from traditional Korean folk dance and Western dance techniques. The showcase also features the delicate yet emotional solo work by Yong-In Lee of UBIN Dance from Seoul, South Korea, who has performed extensively in Germany; and one of Taiwan's most promising companies, Sun-Shier Dance Theatre, founded by two former dancers of Cloud Gate, Pi-Jung Wu and Hsiu-Ping Chang.

Clad in trademark jersey training wear, Makotocluv (U.S. Debut) has performed on the street or inside buildings, trains, shopping malls and stores. The company records these environmental performances and incorporates them into their live stage shows, resulting in an often comic revelation about our day-to-day life and movement. The company, which currently has six members, was founded in 2001 by Makoto Enda. Enda joined Kim Itoh + the Glorious Future at its founding in 1995 and performed in most of its national and overseas performances. In addition to leading the activities of Makotocluv, Enda continues to perform for other choreographers, conduct workshops and present his own street performances.

Founded by choreographer Yukio Suzuki in 2000, Kingyo (U.S. Debut) is a contemporary dance company that presents performances influenced by different movement disciplines such as butoh, ballet and theater. In addition to theater spaces, the company has presented work in art venues such as the International Triennale of Contemporary Art in Yokohama and Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Cultural History. For this showcase, the company presents Dulcinea, which draws inspiration from Don Quixote and features dancers Ryohei Yokoyama and Nao Ashimine. Director/choreographer Yukio Suzuki trained in butoh at Asbestos House in 1997 and has performed works by artists such as Ko Muroboshi. In recent years, he choreographed for the Tokyo City Ballet and the “Asia Dance Conference”, and has conducted workshops based on butoh methods. Suzuki was awarded Labo Award from ST Spot and received the Audience Award at the Toyota Choreography Awards in 2005. He has been a resident artist of Session House since 2005.

Of Korean heritage, Yun Myung Fee (U.S. Debut) was born and raised in Tokyo. Since the age of seven, she has studied dance and body techniques of the East and West. In 1995 she began performing her solo work and has been well received for her unique body movements. She has performed in a variety of dance and art festivals nationally and internationally. She has also worked in non-theater festivals, such as International Triennale of Contemporary Art in Yokohama, and currently works as a freelance dancer/choreographer. For this showcase, Yun Myung Fee performs her solo Love Affairs and Canaries.

Yong-In Lee (U.S. Debut) received recognition as one of the best modern dancers in Korea since she graduated from the prestigious Ewha University. After working freelance for two years in Korea, she received the Rising Artist Fund, moved to Europe and worked with various choreographers. Whilst enjoying great success as a solo artist in numerous European companies, Yong-In started to search for her own language in movements. She began to create her own work in 2002, with a focus on movement that delivers picturesque images through the mastery and precision of movement. In this showcase, Yong-In Lee performs her solo Below the Surface. A U.S. premiere, the piece was seen in Seoul in June 2003, was invited to Festival de la Cite in Lausanne, Switzerland, and performed in eight cities in Germany. In 2004, Lee established her company UBIN Dance, which premiered to great acclaim and established a unique style that has been described by critics as enduringly beautiful, effortless, weightless, precise and delicate.

Considered the most promising young dance company in Taiwan, Sun-Shier Dance Theatre (U.S. Debut) was founded in 1997 by Pi-Jung Wu and Hsiu-Ping Chang. The company is widely recognized for its provocative choreography and talented dancers. In the past 9 years, the company has invited over twenty choreographers to set new work, produced fifteen repertoires and presented hundreds of performances throughout Taiwan. By gathering young and creative Taiwanese choreographers and providing a vehicle through which they can demonstrate their talents, Sun-Shier Dance Theatre is renowned for its ability to present various dance styles.

Since co-founding Sun-Shier Dance Theatre, Hsiu-Ping Chang has choreographed over 30 pieces. A graduate of the National Institute of the Arts in Taiwan in 1991, Chang received a Master of Fine Arts from Tisch School of The Arts at New York University. She was a soloist in Cloud Gate Dance Theatre in Taiwan; has danced and choreographed for Second Ave. Dance Company, The Yard Dance Company (where she was guest choreographer in 1997), and Bates Dance Festival; and in 2004 was invited by World Dance Alliance-Asia Pacific to head a choreography workshop in India.

Pi-Jung Wu graduated from National Institute of the Arts in Taiwan in 1991. Since then, Wu has worked as a performer, choreographer, dance instructor, field observer and co-founder of Sun-Shier Dance Theatre. She has performed with Cloud Gate Dance Theater, Tai-gu Tales Dance Theater, Contemporary Legend Theater and Han Tang Yuefu Ensemble. Since 1992, Pi-Jung has worked as a dance instructor at Tainan Girls' Technical Institute and her writings about dance and environment have been published in numerous Taiwanese newspapers and magazines.

Japan Society’s Performing Arts Program: Since the inception of the Performing Arts Program in 1953, Japan Society has introduced more than 500 of Japan’s finest performing arts to an extensive American audience. Programs range from the traditional arts of noh, kyogen, bunraku and kabuki to cutting-edge theater, dance and music. The Program also commissions new works, produces national tours, organizes residency programs for American and Japanese artists, and develops and distributes educational programs. "At once diverse and daring, the program stands toe to toe with some of the most comprehensive cultural exchange endeavors today" (Leonard Jacobs, Back Stage).

Japan Society: Founded in 1907 by prominent New York City business people and philanthropists, Japan Society has evolved over 100 years into an internationally recognized nonprofit organization presenting a full range of programs within arts, business, education and public policy. Through over 100 events annually, the Society creates rich encounters and exchanges that offer opportunities to experience Japanese culture, foster sustained and open dialogue on issues important to the U.S., Japan, and East Asia, and improve access to information on Japan.

Japan Society celebrates the 100th Anniversary of its founding with Japan100: Celebrating a Century, an unprecedented array of high-profile programming in 2007-08. The celebration occurs throughout New York City and in Japan with further national and international exposure through traveling exhibitions, performing arts tours, symposia, fellowships, and exchanges. The Performing Arts Program kicked off the centennial celebration in February with the world premiere of Big Dance Theater’s The Other Here and the Spring/Summer Noh~Now! series. American Theatre magazine recently commented, "For a hundred years now, the Japan Society of New York has been a think tank for policy wonks, entrepreneurs, diplomats, and Japanophiles. But the jewel in its crown has always been the performing arts program.” Visit www.japan100.org for more information.

The 11th Annual Contemporary Dance Showcase runs Friday, January 11 & Saturday, January 12 at 7:30 pm. Japan Society is located 333 East 47th Street, between First & Second Avenues. Tickets are $28/$25 Japan Society members, and may be purchased by calling the Box Office (212) 715-1258 or in person at Japan Society (Monday-Friday from 10:00 am-4:45 pm). For more information call (212) 832 -1155 or visit www.japansociety.org.

Support for this program is provided by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government; Korean Ministry of Culture and Tourism; Korean Cultural Service, NY; Performing Arts Market Seoul; and the Taipei Cultural Center.

# # #

For further information, images interview requests, please refer to:

Aya Akeura
Japan Society
T: (212) 715-1292
F: (212) 715-1262
E: aakeura@japansociety.org

Kuniko Shiobara
Japan Society
T: 212-715-1249
F: (212) 715-1262
E: kshiobara@japansociety.org