Sumida River

Performers

Denise Fujiwara

Production

Choreographer: Natsu Nakajima
Costume Design: Natsu Nakajima, Michiko Nakamura, and Cheryl Lalonde
Lighting Design: Roelof Peter Snippe
Composers: Soga Masaru, Junko Handa, Makoto Sato, Jean Michel Jarre, and Mum
Music Compilation: Natsu Nakajima
Prop Design: Michiko Nakamura
Prop Construction: Cheryl Lalonde
Rehearsal Directors: Elizabeth Langley and Philip Shepherd
Rehearsal Assistant Leanne Dixon

Natsu Nakajima

Natsu Nakajima, choreographer of Sumida River, was born on Sakhalin in 1943. She trained in classical ballet before studying modern dance with Masami Kuni. At 19, she entered the Kazuo Ohno Dance Institute and only one year later became a founding member of the first Butoh dance activity with the late Tatsumi Hijikata. In 1969, Natsu Nakajima formed the Muteki-Sha Dance Company. Her extraordinary performances Niwa in 1985 and Sleep And Reincarnation in 1989, toured throughout North America, Australia, Asia and Europe. In 1989 she received support from the Saison Foundation to present a new work at La Mama in New York City. In 1992 she established “The Class for Body and Mind” and “Dance Education for the Handicappers” in Tokyo. She is an Assistant Professor at Nihonbashi Gakkan University in Japan and continues to teach and lecture internationally.

Premiere History

Sumida River premiered at the Canada Dance Festival, National Arts Centre, Ottawa, 1994. It was created with assistance from the National Association of Japanese Canadians, the Japan Foundation, the Ontario Arts Council and The Canada Council for the Arts. Fujiwara Dance Inventions also gratefully acknowledges the support of the Toronto Arts Council, George Cedric Metcalf Charitable Foundation and Lifford Wine Agency.

Since its premiere, the work has toured to dance and theatre festivals on 4 continents over 15 years.

Special Thanks

Special thanks to Dr Frank Hoff, Canadian Children’s Dance Theatre, and Brad and Kayla Davids.

Performance History

2010

2008