Artists & Projects Directory

• Africa Consortium
• Dan Hurlin
• David Zambrano
• Dean Moss
• Faustin Linyekula
• Ivana Müller
• Los Muñequitos
• Marc Bamuthi Joseph
• Nora Chipaumire
• Ralph Lemon
• Stories Left to Tell
• The America Project
• Voices of Strength
• Yasuko Yokoshi

Yasuko Yokoshi

Masumi Seyama (Choreographer)
Masumi Seyama is the head of the Seyama Dance Family and leading teacher and practitioner of Kanjyuro Fujima VI's dance tradition. Ms. Seyama's brother-in-law, Kanjyuro Fujima VI (1900-1990), a Japanese Living National Treasure, was one of the most celebrated Kabuki dance choreographers in 20th Century Japan. Masumi Seyama started dance training with Kanjyuro Fujima VI when she was 6 years old. She took the prominent Fujima family second name - Seyama - at age 14. Later, she assisted Fujima's choreographic process and notated all of his dance repertories during his prime. As a current head of the family, she is responsible for the maintenance of this tradition and is widely considered one of the few remaining heirs to Kanjyuro Fujima VI's dance works. Ms. Seyama has performed his choreographies many times and she has a small, exclusive dance school in Tokyo where she teaches Kabuki actors and stage performers. Ms. Seyama co-choreographed what we when we with Yasuko Yokoshi in 2006.
 
Julie Alexander (Performer)
Originally from Houston, TX, Julie Alexander graduated from Washington University in St. Louis and has been living and working in New York since 2002. She has had the pleasure of performing in the works of Beth Gill, Miguel Gutierrez, Trajal Harrell, Anna Sperber, Michou Szabo, Donna Uchizono and Antonietta Vicario, among others. Her own choreographic work has been presented by Dixon Place and AUNTS.

Naoki Asaji (Performer)
Naoki Asaji was born and currently lives and works in Tokyo, Japan. He joined the Seyama Dance Family in 1988. He has presented his solo dances at the Seyama Dance School, performing major classic repertories choreographed by Kanjyuro Fujima, such as Fujimusume, Yasuna and Matsu no Midori. Asaji has also performed in numerous stage productions with the Bungakuk-za Theater Company since 1994. He is a founding member of the Comedy on the Board, which was founded by the acclaimed Japanese comedian Maruse Taro in 2002. He also appeared in TV dramas and feature films such as Last Dance by Hiroshi Mukai; Yokai Daisenso (Monster War) by Hiroshi Miike; Flying Bird by Koyama Takashi; and And I by Koji Kobayashi.
 
Kayvon Pourazar (Performer)
Kayvon Pourazar is of Persian origin, and was raised in Iran, Turkey and England. He graduated with a BFA in Dance from SUNY Purchase in May 2000. He has performed in the works of John Jasperse Company, Levi Gonzalez, Beth Gill, Donna Uchizono Company, Jennifer Monson, Doug Varone and Dancers, Gwen Welliver, K.J. Holmes, Wil Swanson/ DANCEWORKS, Gabriel Masson Dance and Malashock Dance Company, and in The Metropolitan Opera productions of
Les Troyens and Le Sacre du Printemps. He has taught dance as a guest artist at Sacramento State University, 92^nd+ Street Y, The Whitney Museum at Altria, and Doug Varone and Dancers Summer Workshops. Pourazar's work has been shown in New York City at The Whitney Museum, P.S. 122, The Cunningham Studios, Center for Performance & Research and Dixon Place; and at Sacramento's Shasta Hall. He also currently performs with John Jasperse and Gwen Welliver.

Kuniya Sawamura (Performer)
Kuniya Sawamura began his dance training with Masumi Seyama at age thirteen. He joined the Tojyuro Sawamura family as a Kabuki actor/dancer in 1995. He has appeared in numerous Kabuki productions including Heisei-Nakamuraza, presented at the Lincoln Center Festival in 2004 and 2007, and Chikamatsu-za, with Ganjiro Nakamura in a Russian, Korean, and U.S. tour from 2003-2005. As an exceptional dancer, he has been given major roles in Kabuki dance repertories such as Bo-shibari, Sukeroku, and Ayatsuri-Sanbaso, which have been presented annually at Kabuki Forum at Edo-Tokyo Museum. Kuniya Sawamura has recently been promoted to "Nadai," which was publicly announced by Kanzaburo Nakamura (head of the Nakamura family) at the Kabuki-za Theater in February 2010. He is the youngest actor to pass this very difficult exam in recent history. In 2006, Sawamura collaborated with Yasuko Yokoshi on her full-evening work, what we when we, leading a three-week intensive training residency for the ensemble at the Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography (Florida State University). Tyler Tyler is his first performance in a contemporary dance work.

Kayo Seyama (Performer)
For over 50 years, Kayo Seyama has devoted her life to assisting Masumi Seyama in the preservation of Kanjyuro Fujima VI's dance tradition. Born in Ishikawa, Japan, Seyama joined the school of Kanyakko Fujima VI at age four to study Fujima style traditional Japanese dance. In 1965, she joined the school of Masumi Seyama as the first apprentice. Kayo Seyama was given the "Natori" certificate, and also became a certified teacher of Seyama style Japanese dance in 1967. She later opened her own school in Kanazawa. She has performed numerous major dance repertories by Kanjyuro Fujima VI, such as Sagimusume and Oiso Hakkei. Tyler Tyler marks the first time she has traveled abroad to perform with American dancers.

Steven Reker (Composer/Performer)
Steven is a Brooklyn based musician, choreographer, and performer. His most recent project was a music and dance piece as part of the Dance and Process series at the Kitchen in December 2009 with his band people get ready. He has worked with Yoshiko Chuma, Miguel Gutierrez, Jeff McMahon, David Byrne, John Jesurun, Brian Rogers, Miranda July, Fred Thomas, and other artists since moving to New York in 2006. His own work has been presented at Danspace Project, Issue Project Room, Judson Church and with AUNTS. The record for the band people get ready will be available soon and new dance/video work related to the album release is underway.

Soichiro Migita (Sound Designer)
Soichiro Migita is a sound designer, mixing and recording engineer and a composer. Migita was born and grew up in Tokyo, Japan, came to the US in 1998 and graduated from SUNY Purchase College. Since moving to New York City in 2005, Migita has collaborated with independent filmmakers, musicians, photographers and dance performers.  In 2006 he received the First Run Film Festival Sound Design Award for Men, Women & Capitalism directed by Yusuke Murakami.

Akiko Iwasaki (Costume Designer)
Akiko Iwasaki lives and works in Tokyo, Japan. Akiko Iwasaki began her career as a costumer in 1998 for opera productions and went on working in the film and the theater industry. Akiko Iwasaki's credits in association with costuming and assistant to the designer for upcoming feature films are: Goemon (2009) by Kazuaki Kiriya,  Tajomaru (2009) by Hiroyuki Nakano and  Thirteen Assassins (2010) by Takashi Miike.  Iwasaki also has worked for commercial campaign photo shoot for Shiseido Company and as a costumer for the Ku Na'uka Theater Company.