Summary: DaBY/ProLab’s 1st “Dance Critics [Training -> Dispatch] Program” by Takao Norikoshi
This page is a summary of DaBY/ProLab’s first term “Dance Critics [Training → Dispatch] Program” by Takao Norikoshi.
◯You can see the critiques presented in the first term here:
https://dancebase.yokohama/main2/info/9956
◯The page for the second term is here:
https://dancebase.yokohama/main2/info/10549
Please wait for further information.
Unprecedented training program for professional dance critics
Currently, there are many programs worldwide to nurture young dance critics. Moreover, theaters and festivals are voluntarily taking the initiative to nurture the next generation of critics.
In Japan, however, the situation is devastating. Compared to artists, programs to educate and nurture dance critics have been largely neglected.
The “Dance Critics (Training to Dispatch) Program” is probably the first practical program in Japan to train professional dance critics. Five people are selected from all over Japan through an open call. They will undergo a six-month program designed by dance critic Takao Norikoshi (including GAGA, in which they will move their own bodies), and two of them will eventually be dispatched to international dance festivals overseas.
This is unprecedented in Japan.
Takao Norikoshi (Japan Dance Plug Co., Ltd.) and Dance Base Yokohama co-sponsored the public call and lectures. The Japan Committee of EU Japan is supporting the cost of sending Takao Norikoshi and his two students to overseas festivals.
Spring Forward has also pledged its full support for Norikoshi’s request. Spring Forward also has a dance writer development program, Spring Back, within the festival. The Aerowaves’ Spring Forward Festival also shares the importance of dance criticism.
●From the first phase of the application process to the lectures
Starting with the official website of DaBY, Takao Norikoshi’s Twitter post (April 9, 2023) announcing the open call received a total of over 120,000 views, and was widely publicized in Stage Natalie (April 11, 2023) and other media, while the web magazine “Ballet Channel” of Shinshokan, publisher of “Dance Magazine A long interview with Norikoshi was published in the web magazine “Ballet Channel” (May 26, 2023), which is published by Shinshokan, the publisher of “Dance Magazine”.
The assigned performance for the application was designated as Kid Pivot’s “Reviser/Prosecutor,” led by one of the world’s most sought-after performers, Crystal Pite.
After a second round of Zoom interviews from 2,000-word submissions, the five finalists were selected from a wide range of ages and backgrounds, including a veteran ballet writer living in London, a current major newspaper reporter, an architect, a dance house staff member in Kobe, and a graduate student, all of whom were highly capable writers.
This program is not a typical “writing class,” but rather a way to discover one’s own style as a professional dance critic.
Local residents can participate via Zoom, but for the first session only, all participants are required to attend. The reason for this is to have the participants take GAGA, a physical method that is now being practiced around the world.
Critics must know the body, not just write about it. The instructor is Mariko Kakizaki, who was a member of Ohad Naharin’s Batsheva Dance Ensemble, the inventor of GAGA. She is one of the best instructors.
In addition, in order to respond to the age of generative AI, which has been the topic of discussion for some time, I asked her to critique the dance criticism of chatGPT as created by a human being.
Lectures were held once a month from August to December. They were held at DaBY at 8 pm. Students were given an assignment each time and were to submit it by the next lecture.
The two-hour session basically consisted of one hour of lecture and one hour of assignment.
In addition to building up their skills through practical training, Norikoshi also taught them how to be “proud to be a professional critic” and “the latest information on dance in the world.
He also gave a lecture on the “20-year problem of missing history,” which is difficult to learn about in Japan today. In other words, he gave a lecture to update the lack of knowledge about dance in the past 20 years, when the bubble burst, the number of invited performances decreased drastically, and the lack of information accelerated the Galapagosization of the dance scene.
Many festivals and performances supported this project (Dance Base Yokohama, “Dance. Akita” International Dance Festival, Hokuriku Dance Festival DX, and Yokohama Dance Collection), and invited the participants to help expand their knowledge. Participants wrote reviews of the festivals and provided feedback on the content.
This spirit of “fostering dance criticism in the dance world as a whole” was very encouraging, and I hope it will increase further in Japan in the future.
The reputation of this program has also spread overseas. Norikoshi has been asked by two international festivals, the Hong Kong Dance Exchange and Macau’s “Psalms Dance Collection,” to give a lecture on this program in 2024.
● Spring Forward Dublin, Darmstadt
One of the main features of this program is to send two participants to overseas festivals in order to broaden their knowledge and network through direct contact with dance from around the world.
Takao Norikoshi chose the Aerowaves ‘Spring Forward Festival’, which he had participated in Pilsen before (the host city changes each time).
Here, talent in the rough gathers from all over Europe. These are not seasoned veterans with solid reputations. For the critics, it is an opportunity to train their own eyes to discover new talent. It is the best festival of its kind.
In April 2023, Takao Norikoshi attended the Dublin leg of the festival and met with co-directors Roberto Casarotto and Elisabetta Bizzarro. They showed a deep understanding of this program and promised their full cooperation. We are sincerely grateful to them.
The travel expenses were also supported by the EU-Japan Fest Japan Committee’s Passport Program.
The selection of the two students to be dispatched was a difficult task, as the five first-term students are all highly qualified and not necessarily superior to each other.
With the support of EU-Japan, they will be in Darmstadt, Germany, from March 19 to 21, 2024, to cover the event.
The results will be compiled into a report, and a debriefing session will be held upon their return to Japan.
About the first graduating class A group of strong personalities
I would like to introduce the five graduates of the first class (Sakuya Uemura, Ayako Jitsukawa, Shota Sugimoto, Takuaki Taue, and Aiya Hayashi, in alphabetical order).
All of them are equally talented. Each of them has a unique area of expertise.
I encourage you to ask them to work with us.
The manuscripts they wrote in their lectures can be found here. https://dancebase.yokohama/main2/info/9956
Characteristics of the 1st class students (in alphabetical order)
◎Sakuya Uemura
was a graduate student during the program. He is skillful in setting issues from a unique perspective when writing critiques, and has the ability to make the reader read the critique unintentionally, despite his strong logical development.
He has been active in the field of theater, writing various articles and presiding over study groups himself. He has a particularly deep knowledge in a researcher-like manner, and already has sufficient knowledge and awareness of issues related to dance.
In this program, he has often demonstrated his enthusiasm for exploring dance, and he showed a hasty critique of the program.
He has the ability to carry through long critiques with clear resolution, but in this program, he dared to tackle the method of cutting sharply to the point in short sentences, or sentences that skip to unexpected ideas, and he also showed a great deal of his ability to respond.
◎Ayako Jitsukawa
She may be the one who has made the most significant change this time around.
She lives in London and is already a highly accomplished ballet writer. She is also well known in Japan and writes a series of articles for Shinshokan’s web magazine “Ballet Channel.
Her career, knowledge, writing skills, and overall ability, as well as her elegant and profound writing, are truly skilled, and she has already reached a level of perfection that is unmatched by any other writer.
However, she herself did not rest on her laurels and applied for the job, daring to break out of her shell. She is a person with an insatiable desire to improve.
The “training to break her own writing style,” which was part of the program, brought out the mischievous charm that lay dormant inside her, and there was a thrilling moment when I wondered if she had discovered this side of herself.
I hope she will continue to develop her new charms discovered in this way.
◎SHOTA SUGIMOTO
is a staff member of Kobe DANCE BOX, one of the most important centers of contemporary dance in Japan, but he himself has a strong will to become a dance critic. His job requires him to see a large number of dance performances, and moreover, he never neglects his studies. After all, the strongest critics are those who can continue to work hard for many years.
DANCE BOX has many guests from abroad. The fact that they are familiar with dance in the Kansai region gives them a great advantage in that they have a bird’s eye view of dance from a different perspective than those in the Kanto region.
This time, too, he has the energy to apply from Kobe and to cover festivals.
Above all, he is overflowing with passion to understand the works and artists, and this passion overflows into his writing, involving the reader.
This is a unique talent, and I look forward to seeing it continue to grow and mature.
◎Takuaki Tagomi
In my job as a professional newspaper reporter who writes, I can expect great benefits in my future activities, such as performances to be seen and interviews with artists. There is great room for growth that can be improved by making the most of it.
Writing is a great strength for me because I have a solid foundation in being able to convey to my readers in an easy-to-understand and in-depth manner. This is a foundation on which I can continue to build my knowledge and experience.
Also, the perspective from which you look at the work has a unique and interesting angle.
What is noteworthy is the warmth of his character that comes through in his writing. Even when he writes harsh words, they are not taken as attacks or negativity, but rather as a smooth entry into his work, which is a talent that is hard to find in a critic.
As a dance critic, he has the potential to build a deep relationship of trust with artists.
◎Aiya Hayashi
An architect by profession, Aiya’s dance criticism is unique and unprecedented, as she looks at the stage from the perspective of spatial composition.
She also speaks not only English but also Chinese, which is very rare among Japanese dance critics. This is a great asset at a time when dance networks in Asia are becoming more and more important.
He has seen a large number of performances. His footwork to go to festivals for interviews, and his active and communicative skills to go around and interview people by himself are worthy of special mention.
At first, I had the impression that he was a neat writer, but as he covered more and more festivals in this program, his articles became thicker and thicker and more alive. His overall ability as a dance critic has grown remarkably through the program, and we look forward to seeing how he will grow as he gains further experience.
Words from participants
Mr. Norikoshi’s lecture made me realize that light footwork that crosses over between journalism and criticism is essential for stage criticism, and that a high level of mobility is necessary to always maintain an actual point of view.
I feel that now that I finally have a little confidence, my psychological block against expressing myself in my writing has finally been lifted.” (Ayako Jitsukawa)
I was able to discover the strengths of my critique thanks to the comments of the participants, and I learned a lot about the current dance situation, such as the importance of writing techniques and landing directly from Norikoshi-san.” (Shota Sugimoto)
I felt a sense of liberation as I became aware that I had been stuck in the limited world of ‘newspaper style’ and the correct answer.” It was very stimulating to see the different members of the team, each with his or her own unique perspective and writing style, demonstrate it to the fullest in each assignment.” (Takuaki Tagami)
The festival’s invitational program gave the readers a concrete image of dance professionals through participation, so I think students like myself who originally had no direct connection to the dance world should definitely give it a try.” (Aiya Hayashi)
We are now in the second phase of the project, and we have the power to change reality.
It is wonderful that the first cohort of students graduated without a single dropout.
I could see them grow so much with each session, and it was a great honor to be a mentor for them.
However, while we are pleased that this program was an accomplishment for them, it must be a passing point in their long careers as dance critics.
I hope that they will continue to write hundreds of manuscripts from today onward with what they have learned from this program.
Dance Base Yokohama is also considering ways to support their activities as dance critics.
But above all, as a student of this program, I would like you to carve out your own writing space. They should have the power to do so.
Dance Base Yokohama has already announced the second term of the program. https://dancebase.yokohama/main2/info/10549
The program will include performances in Japan by the NDT and a festival in Italy.
The issue is to hold a festival in Italy, where the NDT will come to Japan and send its members to perform.
Imagine.
If this program continues for 10 years, there will be “50 dance critics who have taken the course for professionals” and “20 dance critics who have experienced overseas coverage.
This would be enough to change the world of dance criticism.
We are confident that this program will give young writers real hope and seriously change the environment of dance criticism in Japan.
We hope that more applications will be received and that we will be able to count on your support.
DaBY/ProLab 1st stage of Takao Norikoshi’s “Dance Critics [Training -> Dispatch] Program”]
・Co-organizer: Takao Norikoshi (Japan Dance Plug Inc.) Dance Base Yokohama
・Support: EU Japan Fest Japan Committee
Cooperation: Aerowaves ‘Spring Forward Festival
