CONTEMPORARY DANCE FESTIVAL: JAPAN + EAST ASIA Announced At Japan Society

In January 2022, Japan Society's Contemporary Dance Festival: Japan + East Asia brings groundbreaking artists from the other side of the globe to New York audiences, in two performances only: Friday, January 14 and Saturday, January 15 at 7:30pm.

Presented as part of Japan Society's 2021-2022 Performing Arts Season, the Contemporary Dance Festival features three North American premieres from Japan, Taiwan and Korea in a highly selective program assembled by the Society's Artistic Director, Yoko Shioya.

Japan Society relaunches a proud tradition with this biennial event, which was last slated to appear in New York in January 2021, but was necessarily postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The upcoming festival marks the much-anticipated return of contemporary dance from a vibrant slate of international choreographers and performers. This festival, which over the course of two decades enjoyed 18 action-packed installments, celebrates defining artists of the present moment.

The 2022 Contemporary Dance Festival: Japan + East Asia features 3 North American Premieres:

• Duo Choi x Kang Project twitch and jerk like windup toys to the sound of a ticking clock in their comical and technically-daring piece Complement (Korea).
• In Touchdown, mathematician-turned-choreographer Hao Cheng uses the stage as his chalkboard in a solo that explores quantum physics through repetitive circular motion (Taiwan).
• Butoh artists Kentaro Kujirai and Barabbas Okuyama embody the philosophy of Yin and Yang in their haunting duet entitled A HUM SAN SUI (Japan).

These three premieres will be presented in two performances: Friday, January 14 and Saturday, January 15 at 7:30pm. On both nights, audiences are invited to arrive by 6:45pm to watch a special solo performance in the Society's lobby titled FreeSteps - NiNi, choreographed by Wei-Chia Su - the founder of one of Taiwan's most-celebrated dance companies HORSE. Attendance is limited to a maximum of 120 observers at this time; no admission is required.

Performances are Friday, January 14 at 7:30pm* and Saturday, January 15 at 7:30pm†. Tickets are $30 / $25 Japan Society members. * followed by a MetLife Meet-the-Artists Reception † followed by an Artist Q&A

Tickets can be purchased online at www.japansociety.org or by calling the Box Office at 212-715-1258 (M-F 9:00am - 5:00pm). Japan Society is located at 333 East 47th Street, between First and Second Avenues (accessible by the 4/5/6 at 42nd Street-Grand Central Station or the E at Lexington Avenue and 53rd Street). In compliance with CDC, New York State, and New York City guidelines, visitors will be required to show proof of vaccination and wear a proper, secure-fitting mask at each performance. View our current visitor policies and safety protocols here. For more information, call 212-832-1155 or visit www.japansociety.org.