Profile
I am always looking for "SPONTANEOUS IKIIKI space". I create that through teaching, performing, creating and organizing.
What is IKIIKI(イキイキ) dance?
Iki(生、粋、活、息) means Life, stylish, alive, energetic, and breathIki has many meaning and I believe those are all connected.
Ikiiki means Iki ×２, so it means really alive, energetic!
I am alwayslooking for IKIIKI space also I try to create the Ikiiki space spontaneously.
Mayu Shirai
From Osaka, Japan. When I was 12, I started dancing through watching You tube, and learned how to dance through internet videos. I still believe this is the origin of my dance. When I was 16 years old, I starts house dance in Osaka, Japan. Through house dance culture, I am very inspired by the improvised "ALIVE" space in dance floor. It was spontaneous and people can be themselves. While studying dance, I studied "peace studies" and "international politics" in Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto. After I graduated from the faculty of law at Ritsumeikan University, I moved to NYC to study the art form of dance. In NYC, I studied modern dance to pursue the true nature of human movement, also just "dance". While learning the modern dance, I created my own dance piece and performed and choreographed it for the singers. In 2017, I went back to Japan to concentrate on creating and sharing my dance experience in NYC. In Japan, I felt the lack of ALIVE space in Osaka. From 2017, I started to teach dance from child to old adults, and create dance pieces with them and organize dance performances in Osaka. I have performed on many stages as improvisation, and I create my own dance pieces too. In 2022, I did my first solo dance performance in Osaka without any supportive funding.
I also created a space for the artists to feel free to perform and show their art. It is an artist salon called "Hyogen club/Expression Club" .
Dance Style(What I learned, but only major training)
・House( origin of my dance, started when I was 16 years old)
I did not get specific training, I took some classes in Osaka, joined the jam and battle in Japan. I learned house dance culture in NY from 2014-2017. My mentor was James Cricket Colter in NY.
・Modern dance( This is the second major dance style I've learned.)
I learned Graham technique in Martha Graham school in NY from 2015-2016.
I learned Jose Limon technique from Betty Jones and Fritz Ludin.
・Ballet
I studied ballet from Ernesta Corvino and Andra Corvino.
・Japanese traditional dance "Jiutamai" by Furusawa Ufo
Jiutamai is japanese traditional dance, it is the branch of Noh theater. I learn Jiutamai since 2022.
I have been a certified Gyrokinesis® trainer since 2017.
I also studied Tai chi, Qigon by Takanori Senzaki, study Noguchi Taiso, Feldenkrais.
My artist statement(2023)
Create the SPONTANEOUS ALIVE space through dance. I am always searching for "ALIVE" space.
As Performance artist
・I am performance artist.
I am improvisational performance artists. My performance is communication between the space and the performer. When I perform a longer set such as 1 hour or 2hour, I set the composition of performance.
I often wait for a moment to feel and listen to the space. I often freeze, to feel the opportunities to move. Improvisation allows me to feel, and give me flexible idea for the moment.
This idea comes from japanese philosophy of "feel the atomosphere" and also from Jiuta-mai(Japanese traditional dance). I always look at the space more than the audiences. If the space changes, the perfomer will change and the audience will be changed too.
・I prefer to perform in public space.( especially Japan)
I prefer to perform outside especially in public space.
Osaka, Japan where I live, is the second biggest city in Japan. Although we have many big theaters in Osaka, few people go to see the theater, the audience is very limited. For the reason above, I felt that not only living as an artist, but also we artists should have a presence in Japanese Society. That is why I started performance in public space. However, I am very careful of how I present myself in public space. When I display my dance in public space, I always use the verb "寄り添う",(yorisou) that means "stay close", "stand with", or "snuggle" in Japanese. As I said, to create the spontaneous Alive space, I am not the main role of the space, so I am very careful of how I present myself. I try to 寄り添う（yorisou) with the space.
My public space peformance project (this is long term projects)
Asa dance （朝ダンス）
Tenpozan dance(天保山ダンス)
As Teacher/Guide
I am guider/teacher.
Living in Japan, teaching is my main way to make a living, it means it is my life's work. I am working with mission to create ALIVE space. I teach dance because I want to make people move, and it is the best experience they can feel ALIVE space, beacause they participate in the space. In class room, I am a guide, teacher, but at the same time, I am a performer. I feel performing and teaching is the same. I am inviting participants to ALIVE space.
I want to find the dance culture in our life.
I believe every human being plays the music and dances, and dance culture is integrated in our life. Through teaching, I want to find the dance culture. I believe dance is not a hard to reach or fantasy, but I believe dance is ordinary and familiar to all of us,and it enriches our lives. So I want to make dance culture more than just dance art. I hope my students spontaneously dance and create their own culture. and I am just poking them to dance.
As Creative director
・I am organizer and artistic director.
I want to create uncompetitive space for all perople to express themselves.
I am always looking at the opportunity to create the space for expression.
I am searchin for artistic way of life without hierarchy.
Project example Asa-dance since 2021, Hyogen Club since 2022, Release Yourself from 2018 to 2019, Dance performance VOICE, 2019.
You can check all project detail from Create/Share page.
Contact
Facebook
Instagram for my page
Instagram for my school
You tube
Report
Report of my Workshop, Performance, what I learned from Dance, and other activities.
I usually write the blog in Japnese website.
October 1, 2018http://dancediary.co.nf/ Hi! I did really interesting project called "Dance Diary". The project is about how emotion influence on our dance ( movement). From July 1st to 31th, I tape myself before I go to bed, and make my dance diary for 1 month. I really enjoyed to see how my emotion...October 21, 2017October 8, 2017I stayed Caba for around one month from August 13th to September 14th. After stayed in NYC for 2 years, I decided to stop by Cuba before I go back to Japan. I have 3 reasons why I want to stay in Cuba, Firstly I wanna see the real social dance culture in Cuba, I like street dance( especially...Contact
Feel free to contact me!
Copyright by Mayu Shirai Dance