First Steps in Japan

My first visit to Japan was in 1986 with the Tanztheater Pina Bausch. This was also the first tour of this company in this country. We performed the piece « Kontakthof». Without really knowing why, I was all ready, since my youth, very interested in the Japanese culture. Maybe because, as some of my Japanese friends tell, once in my precedent life I was myself a Japanese..
So, it is with a very excited mood that I did put my first step on the Japanese soil. It did not take long before I felt strongly in love with this country.
Since then, I regularly performed as soloist member, with the Tanztheatre Pina Bausch in Japan from 1986 till 2010.

M. and Mrs. Ito and the Session House

But it is only in 1998 that I started to propose my teaching and choreographic work in this country.
In 1998 I had the pleasure to meet Mr. Takashi Ito (manager of the Session House Studio and co-director of the dance company « Mademoiselle Cinema »). M. Ito and his wife Naoko Ito (co-director and choreographer of the company), proposed me to teach a summer workshop for the students of their school « The Session House » and for the dancers of their company named « Mademoiselle Cinema ».
So since 1999 till now I have been working, at least once a year, as teacher, dancer and choreographer in collaboration with the Session House and the dance company « Mademoiselle Cinema ». I became head master of the Session House Summer Academy and many choreographies have been produce through those workshops.
More detailed information about this work can found if you click on the following links:
- Choreography for the student of the Session House.

Dancing with Mademoiselle Cinema,

intokyo tango
with Naoko Ito and the company Mademoiselle Cinema

Premiere: August 2005 in Tokyo
The piece has already been performed in:
Tokyo Session House (Aug. 2005)
Kagoshima (Sept. 2005)
Fukuoka (Sept. 2005)

I love Japanese Culture and Japanese people. I met Mister TaKashi Ito and his wife Naoko Ito in 1997 and from this time started a beautifull work and friendship relation. Naoko is a very interesting choreographer, she started her company "Mademoiselle Cinema" in 1996, and created a very original and important repertoire.

For all information about this work (photos, press reviews, video) please visit:
www.session-house.net

Revival: August 2011 in Tokyo
This piece is based on a story in which a law is enacted requiring all citizens aged between three months and 88 years to wear toe shoes all the time. At first they seem to enjoy wearing toe shoes but as days gone by, they find out how hard and painful to wear toe shoes all the time. The mayor (performed by Jean Laurent Sasportes) sees the citizens (Mademoiselle cinema dancers) suffering trouble and gives a referendum to the residents ( the audience) whether this law should be continued or not. The result is up to the audience. The serious challenge of the contemporary dancers who are not used to dancing on toe shoes provokes smile and laughter from the audience. Jean Laurent Sasportes is known as one of the most important dancers of our time. He has spent much of his artistic life working with the Tanztheatre Wuppertal, the most important modern dance company in Europe. Jean Sasportes was born in Casablanca. In 1979, he became a solo dancer in the Pina Bausch company. Danced in all repertory pieces through most of almost all important events around the world. In 1996, he became an independent dancer, choreographer and teacher. He performs as guest soloist with the Pina Bausch company for the repertory pieces. He also works regularly with the director Yoshi Oida for theater plays and operas directing and choreographing and later on, as choreographer as well as actor.