ProLab 1st phase of Takao Norikoshi’s “Dance Critic [Training -> Dispatch] Program”
ProLab Dance Critic [Training -> Dispatch] Program
*Results page is now open. (Updated 12/1)
*Comments from Takao Norikoshi on the completion of the screening process have been posted. (Updated 7/31)
*Schedule has been changed due to the confirmation of the dispatch schedule. (Updated 4/11)
Comments from Takao Norikoshi
This is an unprecedented program to train professional dance critics.
It is said that “dance works and criticism are two wheels,” but unfortunately, dance criticism has not been sufficiently updated. Unfortunately, there have been no opportunities to do so. In order to build a desirable relationship between dance works and criticism, there is an urgent need to train young writers.
In fact, many festivals and theaters overseas have begun to train dance critics directly.
Takao Norikoshi, a dance critic who has published more books on contemporary dance than any other writer in Japan, including ” HYPER: A Thorough Guide to Contemporary Dance,” and has traveled to more than 100 dance festivals in Japan and abroad, has been observing Japanese contemporary dance since its early days. He has published books on dance and has traveled to more than 100 domestic and international dance festivals. The idea was to take a program designed by Norikoshi over a period of six months and eventually send two students to international dance festivals overseas.
Move. And fly away.
This program is not a typical “writing class. It is designed for those who naturally possess considerable writing ability to further discover their own style as professional dance critics.
The number of participants is approximately 5. Young people with no experience in writing commissioned dance criticism are also welcome. Norikoshi will act as a mentor, imparting the knowledge and 40 years of experience necessary for critics, and help students develop their own style while polishing their “ability to convey criticism.
Two of them will be sent to overseas festivals, where they will have a chance to directly experience dance from around the world and broaden their knowledge and network (the first festival will be Spring Forward (Germany)*1).
The course is open to Zoom participation, so it does not matter if you live in a rural area. However, all students will also attend face-to-face classes (with transportation subsidies for those who live far away).
The realization of this project was made possible by the cooperation of important partners.
Dance Base Yokohama was responsible for all aspects of the course and the overall project secretariat. As you know, Dance Base Yokohama is a proud dance house in Japan that continues to engage in cutting-edge activities for innovation in the dance environment.
The overseas dispatch is also subsidized by the EU-Japan Fest Japan Committee, which has long supported exchanges between various Japanese artists and Europe.
■Dance criticism will be interesting from now on.
After reading this far, you may be wondering whether or not to apply, and this concern may be crossing your mind.
I thought there was no place to write dance reviews.”
However, most of these people’s idea of a “place to write” is often limited to old-fashioned media such as newspapers and paper magazines.
However, I believe that the younger generation of writers, the digital native generation, will use the Internet environment to the fullest and create a new “edible” dance language environment.
In Germany, for example, a project to create a language space for dance criticism in a “throwaway” format has already begun. The point is that the target audience is not Germany but the world. If one writes a good piece, the number of readers and the income can be extraordinary.
Moreover, with the use of automatic translation, which continues to evolve at a powerful pace, the barriers will disappear more and more in the future. In fact, I usually receive inquiries from overseas about the Japanese reviews I write.
When the impact of ChatGPT and GPT-4, which are currently the topic of much discussion, has subsided, we will enter an era in which true “critique” beyond “information” will be sought on a global scale. It is that future to which you should turn your eyes.
In various fields, there are now warnings about ” social networking services, which are becoming a bloated factory of empty approval seeking dependent on the system,” and the importance of “restoring physicality” and “real experiences and connections” is being pointed out.
In the future, “a new relationship between Internet users and physical expression” will be sought with unprecedented earnestness. Dance critics who connect the two must be aware of their responsibility.
Spring Forward, the festival to which this project plans to send its participants, has a “Spring Back Academy *2 ” program for training dance writers, which shows how much importance is attached to dance criticism.
Dance criticism is yet to become interesting.
To do that, you need to hone your critique arsenal and connect with the world. This project will give you both.
Wait for applications!
*1 Spring Forward is a dance festival organized by the European artist network Aerowaves . The host city rotates each year, attracting new talent from all over Europe. https://aerowaves. org/spring-forward/
◆Schedule
From August 2023 to June 2024
2023
April Application period
May 19: Assignment performance KIDD PIVOT “REVISOR” (Aichi )
May 27,28, KIDD PIVOT “REVISOR” (Kanagawa )
June 30 Application deadline
July Students selected
Aug.
~ One lecture per month
Dec.
2024
April: Dispatched to Spring Forth (Germany) and wrote a report
→ May 22-24: Dispatched to Darmstadt (Germany) to cover Spring Forth (travel, local accommodation, and performance ticket expenses paid) and wrote a report (updated 4/11)
June: Report publication (media to be discussed)
Schedule of lectures
1st lecture + GAGA attendance August 21 All participants must meet in person.
2nd Session September 12 (Tuesday) 3rd Session October 10 (Tuesday) 4th Session November 14 (Tuesday) 5th Session December 12 (Tuesday)
All times after the 2nd session are from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. However, due to unavoidable circumstances, the date and time may be changed.
Online attendance from the second lecture onward is permitted.
However, the first lecture (August 21) will be a face-to-face class for all participants to attend Gaga/people (instructor: Mariko Kakizaki).
If you decide to participate in the program, please arrange your schedule in advance.
◆Application Requirements
Eligibility: “18 years of age or older. Those who are willing to attend Takao Norikoshi’s lectures with the aim of becoming the next generation of professional dance critics.
*Please register to DaBY Members when applying. ( https://dancebase.yokohama/members)
・Participation fee : 20000 yen (only required for 5 successful applicants. Application is free)
・The assignment is a 2000 word critique of the KIDD PIVOT performance “Reviser/Prosecutor”. However, it should be something that sets out your own critique style. At the end of the critique, you must analyze your critique style and write about its features in 100 words or less.
*Aichi (May 19, 2023) or Kanagawa (May 27, 2023 – May 28, 2023) performances are acceptable.
( https://www-stage.aac.pref.aichi.jp/event/detail/000961.html)
( https://kiddpivot.dancebase.yokohama/)
Although there is the problem of regional disparity, it is impossible to become a professional choreographer if you miss a performance by Crystal Pite, the most important choreographer of our time. It is a prerequisite for any aspiring professional to attend a certain number of performances on a continuous basis.
Other necessary information: Name, age, address, occupation/affiliation, and reason for application (about 100 words)
Submission address : Google Form (https://onl.tw/cN1SKfM)
・Closing date : June 30, 2023 strictly
Notification of acceptance or rejection will be made only to those who pass the critique screening and will be interviewed via ZOOM.
The review will be completed by the end of July. Please understand this in advance.
Contact : contact@dancebase.yokohama
◆Lecturers
Takao Norikoshi
Writer and Yasagure dance critic. Representative of Japan Dance Plug Inc. He was invited by the Japan Society of New York to stay and study in the U.S. in 2006, and was the Japanese director of “Giappone Danza” in Italy in 2007. 19 years ago he was an official jury member of MASDANZA in Spain. He is currently active as an advisor and juror for theaters, foundations, and festivals in Japan and abroad.
He is the author of “Contemporary Dance Thorough Guide HYPER” (Sakuhinsha), “You don’t watch dance anyway, do you? (NTT Publishing), “Dance Bible” (Kawade Shobo Shinsha), “Dancing All Life: The Story of Saburo Nakagawa” (Shueisha), “Alice: The Story of Fumiko Kawabata, the Genius Dancer Who Charmed Broadway” (Kodansha) and many others.
Currently, she is writing a column “Daremo Dancing Tadonara Shiranai” (Nobody Shall Dance) in the monthly magazine “Buraabo. His “Contemporary Dance Lecture for Ballet Fans,” which was serialized on Shinshokan’s Ballet Channel, is currently being published in book form.
Lecture 1: Gaga/people Lecturer
Mariko Kakizaki
DaBY Residence Artist
Former rhythmic gymnast from Kagawa, Japan.
She is a member of Batsheva ensemble Dance Company (2012-2014) and L-E-V Sharon Eyal|Gai Behar (2015-2021), and has performed and taught workshops around the world. She won the Gold Prize at the 2011 Korea International Dance Festival, the 2013 Kagawa Prefecture Culture and Arts Newcomer Award, the 2014 Israel Jerusalem Dance Week Competition, the 2020 Japan Dance Forum Award, the 2021 Japan Dance Forum Award, etc. In 2021, she opened the culture center “beq” in Kumamoto, aiming to become a place where culture and arts can be enjoyed casually. In 2022, she performed in “When wii we ever learn?” and “never thought it would” created by DaBY. In September 2023, she will present a new work with Alice Godfrey at the Aichi Arts Theater.
◆credit
- Organized by Takao Norikoshi (Japan Dance Plug Inc.)/Dance Base Yokohama
Supported by EU-Japan Fest Japan Committee
