SANKAI JUKU
Directed, Choreographed and Designed by Ushio Amagatsu

SANKAI JUKU, founded in 1975 by Ushio AMAGATSU performed abroad for the first time at the Nancy International Theatre Festival in 1980. Since then, Sankai Juku has performed in 40 countries and visited more than 700 cities: France, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, Mexico, Spain, Venezuela, Poland, Germany, the U.K., Yugoslavia, Holland, Israel, Finland, Sweden, Canada, the United States, Greece, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Singapore, Denmark, Portugal, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Norway, Indonesia, Colombia, Russia, Hungary, Czech, Ukraine, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Ireland, and Japan.

Ushio Amagatsu, artistic director, has trained in classical as well as modern dance before he worked out his own Butoh. For Amagatsu, Butoh expresses the language of the body. In the 1970s, Amagatsu drew mostly on his own individual experience for inspiration. During the 1980s, much of which he spent working in Europe, the inspiration of his work became more universal. In his works, he presents an abstract vision of the infinite, evolutionary movement, of the relationship of the body to gravity, of relationship of gravity to the earth and the environment.

Sankai Juku has premiered a new piece on a constant pace, approximately once every two years, at THEATRE DE LA VILLE, PARIS. Since 1982, THEATRE DE LA VILLE, PARIS has commissioned 10 productions: Jomon Sho (1982), Netsu No Katachi (1984), Unetsu (1986), Shijima (1988), Omote (1991), Yuragi (1993), Hiyomeki (1995), Hibiki (1998), Kagemi (2000) and Utsuri (2003.)

In 1980, Sankai Juku was invited to perform in Europe for the first time. They went to the Nancy International Festival in France with the firm conviction that Butoh would be accepted. Since the performance made quite a sensation winning them great popularity there, Avignon Festival officially invited them in the same year. For the next four years, the company remained in Europe and performed in various international festivals; Edinburgh International Festival, Spain Madrid International Festival, International Cervantino Festival, etc. In 1984, they were invited to North America where they made their North American debut at the Toronto International Festival and the L.A. Olympic Arts Festival, and have toured extensively in North America and Canada. Since 1990, Sankai Juku has also performed in such Asian counties as Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, and Indonesia. They also toured successfully in Russia and East European.

In February 2002, "Resonance from far away - Hibiki" received the 26th Laurence Olivier Awards in category of "Best New Dance Production."

USHIO AMAGATSU
Sankai Juku Director, Choreographer and Designer

Born in Yokosuka, Japan in 1949. Founded Butoh company Sankai Juku in 1975. He created Amagatsu Sho (1977), Kinkan Shonen (1978), Sholiba (1979), before the first world tour in 1980. Since 1981, France and the THEATRE DE LA VILLE, PARIS have become his places for creation and work, and in this year he created Bakki for Festival d'Avignon. At THEATRE DE LA VILLE, PARIS, he has created successively Jomon Sho (1982), Netsu no Katachi (1984), Unetsu (1986), Shijima (1988), Omote (1991), Yuragi (1993), Hiyomeki (1995), Hibiki (1998), Kagemi (2000), and Utsuri (2003). In 1988 he created Fushi on the invitation of Jacob's Pillow Foundation, in the U.S., music by Philip Glass. In 1989, he was appointed the artistic director of the Spiral Hall in Tokyo where he directed Apocalypse (1989), and Fifth-V (1990) for the American dancers. In 1992, he presided the Jury of the International Meeting of Dance of Bagnolet, and in this year he was awarded the "Chevalier de l'Ordre de l'Art et des Letters" by French Cultural Ministry. In February 1997, he directed Bluebeard's Castle of Bartok, conducted by Peter EOTVOS at Tokyo International Forum. In March 1998, at OPERA NATIONAL DE LYON, France, he directed Peter EOTVOS's opera Three Sisters (world premiere), which received "Prix du Syndicat National de la Critique, France." Three Sisters has been seen in the 2001-2002 season at THEATRE DE CHATELET in Paris, at THEATRE ROYAL DE LA MONNAIE in Brussels, at OPERA NATIONAL DE LYON, and at WIENER FESTWOCHEN 2002 in Austria. In February 2002, Hibiki won the 26th Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production. In March 2004, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology awarded Geijutu Sensho Prize (Art Encouragement Prize) to Amagatsu for his outstanding artistic achievement.