The Joyce Theater Foundation To Host the New York City Engagement from Japan's Sankai Juku

The Joyce Theater Foundation will host the New York City engagement of a rare North American tour from Japan's Sankai Juku. KŌSA – between two mirrorsh, the company's latest work, which mines the depths of nearly 50 years of Butoh repertoire from founder Ushio Amagatsu for fresh artistic insights, will play The Joyce Theater from October 24-November 5.

 

Japan's foremost exponent of contemporary Butoh dance theater, Sankai Juku returns to The Joyce with an evening-length compilation of reimagined excerpts from the company's vast repertoire. Entitled KŌSAe, the work exemplifies the elegance, refinement, and emotional depth that are not only hallmarks of the art form, but also the artistic calling cards of Sankai Juku and its founder and choreographer, Ushio Amagatsu. With no decor—only pure dance spectacle and technical precision—dancers bring audiences into Amagatsu's spellbinding and philosophical world, revisiting oft-performed pieces with the fresh curiosity of a first-time artistic exploration. Simultaneously thought-provoking and an homage to the rich legacy of Japanese dance theater, KŌSA  offers devoted fans of Sankai Juku a unique retrospective and a comprehensive introduction to Butoh for new audiences.

The 2023 North American tour of Sankai Juku is supported by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan through the Japan Arts Council.

 

Sankai Juku is a Butoh dance company founded by Ushio Amagatsu in 1975. The company has premiered a new piece approximately once every two years at Théâtre de la Ville, Paris, a center for contemporary dance. Sankai Juku is one of the few dance companies that Théâtre de la Ville, Paris has commissioned continuously for 35 years. Ushio Amagatsu, Artistic Director, trained in both classical and modern dance before he became immersed in 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 he spent most of his time working in Europe and the inspiration for his work became more universal. In his works, Amagatsu presents an abstract vision of the infinite and explores evolutionary movement. Major themes that he examines are the relationship of the body to gravity and the relationship between gravity, the earth and the environment. In 1980, Sankai Juku was invited to perform in Europe for the first time. The company went to the Nancy International Festival in France with the firm conviction that Butoh would be accepted. This engagement marked a major turning point and made a name for both Sankai Juku and the term Butoh throughout Europe. Sankai Juku received the Japan Foundation Award in 2013. The company has toured internationally since 1980 and performed in over 700 cities in 45 countries throughout Europe, Asia, Oceania and the Americas. They have been highly praised in different cultures for over 35 years which is a testament to the universal nature of Sankai Juku's work. While crossing over geographic borders and appealing to diverse audiences, the company has been developing the themes of their work while searching for and moving towards new realms. 

 

The Joyce Theater Foundation (“The Joyce,” Executive Director, Linda Shelton), a non-profit organization, has proudly served the dance community for more than four decades. Under the direction of founders Cora Cahan and Eliot Feld, Ballet Tech Foundation acquired and renovated the Elgin Theater in Chelsea. Opening as The Joyce Theater in 1982, it was named in honor of Joyce Mertz, beloved daughter of LuEsther T. Mertz. It was LuEsther's clear, undaunted vision and abundant generosity that made it imaginable and ultimately possible to build the theater. Ownership was secured by The Joyce in 2015. The theater is one of the only theaters built by dancers for dance and has provided an intimate and elegant home for over 475 U.S.-based and international companies. The Joyce has also expanded its reach beyond its Chelsea home through off-site presentations at venues ranging in scope from Lincoln Center's David H. Koch Theater, to Brooklyn's Invisible Dog Art Center, and outdoor programming in spaces such as Hudson River Park. To further support the creation of new work, The Joyce maintains longstanding commissioning and residency programs. Local students and teachers (1st–12th grade) benefit from its school program, and family and adult audiences get closer to dance with access to artists. The Joyce's annual season of about 48 weeks of dance includes over 300 performances for audiences of over 100,000.

 

The Joyce Theater presents the return of Sankai Juku in KŌSAJ from October 24-November 5. The performance schedule is as follows: Tue-Wed 7:30pm; Thu-Fri 8pm; Sat 2pm & 8pm; Sun 2pm. Tickets, ranging in price from $12-$72 (including fees), can be purchased at www.Joyce.org, or by calling JoyceCharge at 212-242-0800. Please note: ticket prices are subject to change. For more information, please visit www.Joyce.org. 

The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue at West 19th Street.