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A digital collage featuring several 3-D cut-out images of one dance artist in different poses on the left half, and two dance artists in different poses on the right half. The cut-outs sit over top of a background of various multi-coloured rocks. Still of Yuichiro Inoue and KINAJ (Kin Nguien and AJ Velasco). Design by Driftnote

Spring Double Bill


ft. "KIOKU NO MA" by Yuichiro Inoue and "ALIENS" by KINAJ

April 4 - 6 and April 11 - 13, 2024
7:30 PM ET at the Winchester Street Theatre
Deaf/ASL Interpretation at April 11 performance
Livestream broadcast of April 12 performance
Winchester Street Theatre, 80 Winchester Street, Toronto, ON, M4X 1B2 (VIEW MAP)

Accessibility Info: ASL Interpretation at April 11 performance. Unfortunately the Winchester Street Theatre is not currently wheelchair accessible. Full accessibility details: https://tdt.org/your-visit/accessibility/


TDT is thrilled to present a double bill where company and guest dancers will share the stage through two new enticing works. Long-time Company Dancer Yuichiro Inoue choreographs his first full piece KIOKU NO MA – 記憶の間, with members of the ensemble, reflective of his virtuosic career with TDT.  Artistic Duo KINAJ (Kin Nguien and AJ Velasco) shares ALIENS, a piece that incorporates their cross-genre practices in street styles and contemporary dance, building upon the ideas and conversations they began during their 2022/23 Pilot Episodes residency at TDT.

KIOKU NO MA – 記憶の間, a work by TDT dancer and choreographer Yuichiro Inoue, explores memory and consciousness through sensorial connections and recollections with three dancers. Rooted in the Japanese terms 記 (Ki) “record” or “write down” and 憶 (Oku) “memory “recollection.” Kioku represents the ability to remember and store memories. The incorporation of Ma (間) emphasizes Japanese aesthetics, highlighting beauty in intervals, pauses, and emptiness, contributing to harmony and balance. Ma refers to intentional use of empty space in design, pauses in time, and intervals between events for enhanced rhythm and reflection. The particle の indicates possession or association between nouns.

A cosmic odyssey developed through conversations with our interstellar ensemble, ALIENS by KINAJ explores the metaphysical experience on earth through the eyes of space immigrants.  Navigating Disconnection and Connection, we observe the stories of 3 beings who search for their acceptance, visibility, and freedom. Empathy and Communication create space, Cyphers unlock portals for authentic expression and arrays of energy exchange – transcending set movement.  ALIENS is a collaborative act of individual and collective exploration, where bodies vocalize a language through space, systems and structures are probed, and individual stories converge.

Peter Kelly, Megumi Kokuba, Roberto Soria for KIOKU NO MA. Photo by Kendra Epik.
Matthew Morales, Neil Lordson Tangcuangco, Ayano Okubo for ALIENS. Photo by Kendra Epik.
Ticket Options + Livestream

TDT believes that cost should not be a barrier to experiencing live performance and is offering tickets on a sliding scale model for this season’s productions. Ranging from $10 to $45, audiences are invited to select whichever ticket price option that works best for them. There will be a livestream of the April 12 performance ($5 – $15 tickets) and the recording will also remain on-demand to livestream ticket holders until 7:30 PM on May 3rd. Livestream tickets will be available for sale until 4:30 PM on May 3rd.

About the Choreographers

Yuichiro Inoue Photo by McKenzie James

Yuichiro Inoue

Yuichiro Inoue is a dancer and choreographer in his 18th year with TDT. Born in Japan, Yuichiro moved to Germany at the age of 15 to study at the John Cranko Ballet School in Stuttgart. Upon graduation, he spent nine years as a company member of the Staatstheater Braunschweig, Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe, and Saarlaendisches Statts Theatre in Saarbruecken. In 2004 he moved to Toronto where he completed RAD certification and the Teacher Training Program at Canada’s National Ballet School before joining TDT under the direction of Christopher House. In addition to working with an inspiring breadth of artists during his tenure at TDT, he has worked with companies of Peggy Baker, Andrea Nann, Lina Cruz, and Heidi Strauss. Yuichiro has performed in the USA, the UK, and throughout Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Austria, Croatia, China, Kyiv, Mexico, Columbia, Japan and Canada. A recipient of a choreographic award at the Hiroshima International dance competition, he has also been nominated for multiple Dora awards and a Johanna Metcalf Performing Arts Award. Currently on faculty at the Dance Arts Institute and the Pia Bouman School, Yuichiro has taught at many of Canada and Japan’s foremost dance institutions and his students have gone on to be accepted into prestigious post-secondary institutions and dance companies. A co-founder of 3+ Dance Collective with Pulga Muchochoma and Naishi Wang, Yuichiro’s choreographic works have included commissions for Reiko Matsuoka Ballet company in Japan, award-winning film, international festivals and competitions.

Portrait of Kin Nguien and AJ Velasco, the artists of KINAJ collective Photo by Axel Villamil

KINAJ

KINAJ is a cross-genre dance collective created and led by Kin Nguien and AJ Velasco. Since 2020, KINAJ’s mission as choreographers is to create impactful work that challenges the status quo, fosters collaboration, and unleashes the captivating power of storytelling through movement. In their cross-genre dance pieces, they blend street styles with contemporary dance, incorporating elements of improvisation, freestyle, and partnering techniques. This fusion serves as an active act of resistance against rigid structures and systems, guiding them towards crafting action-packed, chaotic, and visually driven narratives. These narratives delve into the realms of mental health, gender dynamics, and immigrant identity, aiming to serve as a powerful medium for social commentary and change.

Beyond the performance itself, KINAJ’s commitment extends to building engaging and interactive experiences that invite audiences to lead with curiosity, empathy, and care. Their choreography becomes a vessel for shared understanding, sparking conversations that echo far beyond the confines of the stage. In this journey they embark, no one is left behind.

Instagram: @kinaj.co

Production Credits

Artistic Director: Andrew Tay
Rehearsal Director: Rosemary James
Lighting Designer: Gabriel Cropley
Production Manager: Aden Altamirano
Stage Manager: Ciaran Brenneman
Technical Director: Tanya Bregstein 

KIOKU NO MA

Choreographer: Yuichiro Inoue
Performers: Peter Kelly, Megumi Kokuba, Roberto Soria
Music Composition/Sound Design: Sarah Shugarman
Costume Design: Valerie Calam

ALIENS

Choreographers: KINAJ (Kin Nguien and AJ Velasco)
Performers: Neil Lordson Tangcuangco, Ayano Okubo, Matthew Morales
Costume Design: Juliette Chan

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