معرفی
Kota Yamazaki is a Japanese butoh dancer and choreographer based in New York. He has been a recurring guest artist at Bennington College since 2008 and served as a visiting faculty member in Spring 2020. He is the director of the Whenever Wherever Festival and Body Arts Laboratory in Tokyo, and leads the New York-based dance company Fluid hug-hug.
His educational background includes:
- BA in Fashion Design from Bunka Fashion College, Tokyo
- Training as a music conductor
Yamazaki's artistic practice centers on butoh and contemporary dance, exploring themes of fluidity, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and the use of public space. He is known for his Darkness Odyssey trilogy and the Becoming Invisible City project, which investigates body-based activities in urban environments. His work emphasizes the fluid exchange between people of diverse backgrounds.
Yamazaki has received numerous awards:
- Bessie Award (2007)
- Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grants to Artists award (2013)
- New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship (2016)
- Guggenheim Fellowship (2018)
As an educator, he has taught at Sarah Lawrence College, UC Davis, and various institutions worldwide. He also directs the Whenever Wherever Festival, which fosters exchange among body-based artists through laboratories, workshops, and performances. His company Fluid hug-hug has presented work at major international festivals including Melbourne International Arts Festival, Jacob's Pillow, and Japan Society.
