Kokoro Dance Theatre Society
Vancouver 49° 15' 39.14" N, 123° 6' 50.23" W Arts Danse Group
Kokoro Dance Theatre Society was incorporated as a non-profit society in Vancouver, British Columbia on July 31, 1986. Its mandate is to re-define the meaning of Canadian culture through teaching, producing and performing new dance theatre with an emphasis on multi-disciplinary collaboration and cross-cultural exploration.
Taking its name from the Japanese word kokoro - meaning heart, soul and spirit, Kokoro Dance creates deeply evocative and provocative performances. Inspired by the Japanese modern dance form known as butoh, Kokoro Dance fuses the aesthetics of East and West. In the past fourteen years, Kokoro Dance has created and performed works for the proscenium theatre, for site specific environmental locations, for young audiences in schools, and for impromptu improvisations in jazz night clubs. The company has performed across Canada, in the United States, and in Europe.
Artistic Directors Barbara Bourget and Jay Hirabayashi, Musical Director Robert J. Rosen, Lighting Designer Gerald King, and Costume Designer Tsuneko Kokubo, are responsible for most of Kokoro Dance's collaborative work that has produced uncompromising, challenging dance theatre.