Sachiyo Ito's Memoir to Appear on JapanCulture•NYC
JapanCulture•NYC is pleased to announce that renowned dancer, dance educator, and choreographer Sachiyo Ito will serialize her memoir on this website. Beginning Thursday, January 11, we will present one chapter each month, revealing a different aspect of her early life in Tokyo and career in New York City in each installment.
Ito Sensei offers of a profound exploration of her experience of dedicating herself to traditional Japanese dance at an early age, arriving in New York City during the tumultuous ‘70s, and making a successful career in the arts. Each chapter offers a glimpse into the complexities that shaped her journey.
The memoir is an invitation to delve into the layers of a creative life and career that has spanned more than 50 years. As a work in progress, it is also an invitation for you to offer your feedback. Your insights will contribute to the evolution of this extraordinary work.
Join us on Thursday, January 11, as we begin this literary examination of not only Ito Sensei’s life, but of how New York City’s culture evolved over the decades and what sacrifices one must make to achieve a thriving career in the arts.
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Sachiyo Ito & Company to Perform at Hudson River Museum
Hudson River Museum Presents: Japanese Dance by Sachiyo Ito & Company
Sunday, August 6 at 2:00 p.m.
Hudson River Museum – 511 Warburton Avenue, Yonkers
Admission: Free with general admission ($13 | $9 Seniors, Veterans, and Students | $8 Children ages 3-18 | Free to Museum members)
In this performance inspired by Kengo Kito: Unity on the Hudson, Sachiyo Ito & Company presents classical dances that express reverence for nature. Sachiyo Ito will demonstrate classical dance form and gestures and perform solo contemporary works, “To the Water” and “Memories,” which she choreographed to reflect water, nature, and humanity, accompanied by a poetry reading. Followed by Q&A with the performers.
Photo credit: Tony Sahara
About Sachiyo Ito & Company
Sachiyo Ito & Company is known for performing and teaching classical dance forms, including Kabuki, Noh, Okinawan Court, and Jiuta-mai, and for presenting contemporary works choreographed by Sachiyo Ito, which preserve the aesthetics of traditional Japanese dance. The Company has performed at Japan Society, Asia Society, and Lincoln Center, among other venues. For more information, please visit dancejapan.com.
Image from hrm.org
About Kengo Kito: Unity on the Hudson
Using more than 2,100 colorful hula hoops, Kengo Kito conceives a monumental, site-specific work symbolizing humanity’s interconnectedness and our relationship with the Hudson River. Unity on the Hudson is the inaugural exhibition of the Hudson River Museum’s transformational new West Wing galleries, which include a cantilevered glass overlook with dramatic, three-sided panoramic views of the Hudson River and the majestic Palisades.
Unity on the Hudson creates an uplifting and memorable space in which to reflect on community and collective action, particularly ongoing efforts to protect the Hudson River ecosystem. Kito notes, “The process of transformation of consciousness through connection is an element that is crucial in the effort to improve the condition surrounding the River . . . environmental issues are the responsibility of not just one singular person but of the community as a whole.”
The exhibition, offered in English, Japanese, and Spanish, includes an interactive area where visitors are invited to contribute their personal stories about interconnectedness and unity.
The artist envisions an immersive experience where visitors walk around and under the multicolored intersecting circles as a metaphor for our bonds with each other and with nature. Curving lines, created by deconstructing and reconnecting different hoops, flow throughout the galleries like water, heightening our awareness from one point, ourselves, to something larger—expansive, yet fluid and intertwined.
The exhibition runs through Sunday, September 24. To learn more, please visit Hudson River Museum’s website.
About Kengo Kito
Kengo Kito received a BFA from Nagoya University of Fine Arts and Music in 2001 and completed his postgraduate studies at Kyoto City University of Fine Arts and Music in 2003. In addition to his work as an artist, he is currently Associate Professor at Kyoto University of Art and Design.
Unity on the Hudson is a triumphant return to New York for Kito, who had a residency and a dynamic show at the Brooklyn campus of Long Island University in 2009. The artist first showed a hula hoop installation in 2021 at Japan House, Los Angeles; this is the first time one of his hula hoop environments has been exhibited on the East Coast.