Sachiyo Ito has been an active participant in Japanese traditional dance in New York for over 30 years. Her salon series is a tribute to a fading art and her school remains a oasis for those who wish to learn without previous formal training. She also sometimes gives reduced rates to artists or performers who are somehow incorporating traditional Japanese dance or other elements into their projects.
Please help Sachiyo and her students celebrate 30 years of an amazing tradition. Donate here.
ABOUT THE CONCERT:
Sachiyo Ito and Company will present its 30th Anniversary Concert to share the richness and beauty of Japanese tradition with the New York community at Ailey Citigroup Theater in New York City on October 23, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. For the last 30 years, Sachiyo Ito and Company has been the only non-profit arts organization in New York City to teach and perform Japanese classical dance, Okinawan dance and contemporary works based on these traditions.
DANCE 1:
18th century music and dance of the Ryukyu Court (now known as Okinawa) with Yotsudake Odori (Bamboo Castanets Dance)
First presented in 1719. It will be accompanied by live music from the Sonny Ochiai Okinawan Music Ensemble.
An excerpt from Sound of Emptiness, the dance drama created by Ito in 2008. It is based on the12th century epic The Heike Monogatari and chronicles the reversal of the Heike Clan’s fortune.This piece will be performed with original music by Katie Dawn, Beth Griffith, Johnny Lin, Yoko Takahashi, Yukio Tsuji, and company members.
DANCE 3:
Classical Kabuki dance repertory. Entitled Chiyo no Tomozuru (Eight Thousand Years Cranes) Honors longevity and peace.
Two dances accompanied live by koto player Masayo Ishigure and her ensemble and Kaoru Watanabe on Fue (traditional Japanese flute).
DANCE 5:
The last dance is another world premier called Yuki no Furu machi o (The Town Where Snow Falls).
The original music is a song from 50 years ago, but it is arranged in the classical Yamato-gaku style with traditional instruments. The dance expresses a winter scene where the incessant falling of snow is a metaphor for the ceaseless flow of memories. Embracing 30 seasons of prevailing Japanese dance in New York, this work is choreographed specifically for the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Sachiyo Ito and Company.
ABOUT Sachiyo Ito:
Born in Tokyo, Sachiyo Ito is an artist, choreographer, and arts educator. She has taught at major colleges such as the Juilliard School and New York University since 1972. She earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in Dance from New York University. She was awarded the name, Sachiyo Fujima from the Fujima School of Japanese classical dance in Tokyo. Sachiyo Ito choreographed Yeats’ Trio, Three Irish Noh Plays in Ireland as well as the New York production, And the Soul Shall Dance, Monkey Music at the LaMama Theatre, and the Off-Broadway production of Shogun Macbeth. She was the Kabuki consultant for the Off-Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Pacific Overtures. Extensive performance credits in Japan, the United States, South America, and Europe include: the American Dance Festival, Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, Dublin Theatre Festival, Japan Society, Asia Society, the Bonn International Dance Workshop, the Riverside Dance Festival, and numerous appearances on television including Channel 4, 11, 13, and at universities. (READ MORE.)
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