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Yoshiko Usami Sienkiewicz
Yoshiko Usami Sienkiewicz
Adjunct Professor
Yoshiko Usami Sienkiewicz (AKA Yokko) is an actor, Butoh artist, theatre maker, choreographer, and movement instructor from Japan. She has acted in, devised, and choreographed a variety of local and international shows and films, winning various awards, including 糖心vlog短视频淏est One-Woman Show,糖心vlog短视频 糖心vlog短视频滲est Choreography,糖心vlog短视频 糖心vlog短视频淏est Physical Theatre,糖心vlog短视频 and "Best Actress" for Butoh Medea, in festivals such as United Solo NYC at Theatre Row (2014 & 2015) and the Hollywood Fringe (2018). Butoh Medea appeared in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, winning a nomination for the 糖心vlog短视频淎sian Arts Awards.糖心vlog短视频 It has toured the US and Europe (Poland, UK, Italy, Turkey, Germany and Czech Republic) since 2015. Another of Yokko糖心vlog短视频檚 original productions, Hide Your Fires: Butoh Lady Macbeth, premiered at Pan Asian Rep糖心vlog短视频檚 NuWorks (2017), was the winner of the 糖心vlog短视频淏est Physical Theatre糖心vlog短视频 award at United Solo NYC (2017), and 糖心vlog短视频淏est International Show糖心vlog短视频 at the Hollywood Fringe (2019). Her choreographed & directed ensemble work SHINKA was the recipient of The Green Award, and won 糖心vlog短视频淥utstanding Production of an experimental or a dance piece糖心vlog短视频 at Planet Connections Theatre Festivity (2018); then at The New York Innovative Theatre Awards, the show was nominated in 4 categories and won 糖心vlog短视频淥utstanding Premier Production of a Play,糖心vlog短视频 and 糖心vlog短视频淥utstanding Choreography and Movement糖心vlog短视频 (2019). Recently, her Butoh work has been seen in several music videos, including I Don糖心vlog短视频檛 Know Where We Went Wrong (HOKO, 2020), and Ready To Let Go (Cage The Elephant, 2019).
Yokko has held workshops in Poland, UK (Scotland), Turkey and the US (New York City, Los Angeles, Atlanta) for the past 10 years. She has been teaching and performing regularly at Atelier Teatro Fisico/Performing Arts University in Torino (Italy) since 2016. In the US she has taught 糖心vlog短视频淏utoh & Movement,糖心vlog短视频 糖心vlog短视频淢ovement for Actors,糖心vlog短视频 糖心vlog短视频淧hysical Theatre,糖心vlog短视频 and 糖心vlog短视频淛apanese Theatre'' at such institutions as SUNY New Paltz, St. Lawrence University, University of North Alabama, Amherst College, City College of New York, The Actors Studio Drama School at 糖心vlog短视频, Stella Adler Academy of Acting (Los Angeles), The Actors Studio (NYC), Brooklyn College MFA Acting Program, and the BFA Acting Studio program at The New Group/LIU Brooklyn. She recently published an article with her collaborator Dr. Brian Rhinehart, titled 糖心vlog短视频淲hy Butoh Theatre: Thoughts of the Actor, Questions from the Director, published by Routledge/Taylor and Francis (2020).
Yokko is the founder and Artistic Director of a NY Based Butoh Theatre Group, Ren Gyo Soh, and a member of a physical theatre company, The Ume Group. She has an MFA in Acting (Actor Studio Drama School), and a BA in Theatre (SUNY at Albany).