It focuses on a creation process and engages itself in activities on a project-to-project basis. LUDENS premiered “Via”(1999), “Be”(2000), “Be” -duo version-(2001), “Es”(2001) ,“Distance”(2002), “Against Newton”(2003) and presented “Es” (video version) as a dance video work.
Works are created through research and collaboration by choreographer Takiko IWABUCHI and the company dancers, to depict human relationships and one’s internal self in intriguing manner.
The company has been annually supported by the Saison Foundation for its activities since 2000.
| - Takiko IWABUCHI - Choreographer / Artistic Director, Dance Theatre LUDENS |
 Takiko Iwabuchi holds a Professional Dance Studies Diploma at Laban Centre in London and also majored in sports physiology and kinetics at Tokyo Gakugei University(BA in 1992, MA in 1996).After finishing the university, she joined ATM Dance Company in Mito, Japan and danced under French artistic director and choreographer, Herve Robbe. In search of a new environment, Ms. Iwabuchi became a freelance dancer in 1997. During the 1998-99 season, she joined Aphasia Dance Company based in Netherlands, and performed a trio piece [In the Emptiness] choreographed by Ted Stoffer, also participating in hie research project for Jerwood Foundation. After the company’s touring in England and Netherlands, she returned to Japan and founded her own company Dance Theatre LUDENS in March 1999. Ms. IWABUCHI was invited by Akiyoshidai International Art village as a resident artist in 1999 and 2002. The company created [Via] for the performance in cooperation with Theatre Çw(kai). She received the Dance Web Scholarship and participated in Dance Wochen Wien, Austria as a scholarship recipient in the summer of 1999. She was commissioned by Park Tower Art Programme from 1999-2002 and premiered full length piece [Distance](2002), [Es](2001), [Be](2000) at Park Tower Next Dance Festival, commissioned by New National Theater Tokyo [Against Newton](2003) at Dance Exhibition 2003. Dance Theatre LUDENS has been annually supported by the Saison Foundation for its activities since 2000. In February 2001, Ms. Iwabuchi received the French Embassy Award for Young Choreographer and Yokohama Culture Foundation Award for [Be]-duo- at the Solos Å~ Duo Dance competition as part of Yokohama Dance Collection 2001. With these awards, she will engage herself in resident activities at National Choreographic Center in Tours(France). Ms. Iwabuchi received a scholarship from Asian Cultural Council in 1992 for her research. In 2002 season, the company invited by The 3rd Daejon International Dance Festival (Korea), Le Printemps de la danse(Tunisia), National Choreographic Centre in Tours(France), impulstanz(Austria), Dance Biennial(Tokyo Aoyama Enkei Theater), Dance Exhibition 2003(Tokyo, New National Theater) . In February 2004, LUDENS will premiered a new piece at Dance Planet’, New National Theater Tokyo. |
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| - Yukari OTA - Artistic Assistant Director dancer, Dancer |
 Yukari OTA has worked with IWABUCHI since 1997, participating in all works and tours of LUDENS as an artistic assistant director and a main dancer.After studying classical ballet, jazz, and modern dance, she went to France, where she studied contemporary dance from 1993 to 1996. Having returned to Japan, she worked as a choreographer of her own company, "Talon." Besides a main dancer of LUDENS, she now gives workshops and the company classes based on the alignment-oriented techniques that she's developed out of her own experience as a dancer. |
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| WORKS & PERFORMANCE | |
| Mar 1999 | “Via” Open rehearsal as part of creative activities by residence support program at Akiyoshidai International Art Village, Yamaguchi, Japan |
| May 1999 | “Via” Company Performance cooperated by Theatre X* (*KAI), Tokyo |
| Feb 2000 | “Be" The 4th Park Tower Next Dance Festival at Park Tower Hall, Tokyo |
| “Be” Art Complex 1928, Kyoto | |
| Mar 2000 | “Be”-duo version- Solo x Duo Dance Competition as a part of Yokohama |
| Feb 2001 | Dance Collection at Land Mark Hall Yokohama, Japan The French Embassy Award for Young Choreographer The Yokohama Culture Foundation Award |
| Feb 2001 | “Es” The 5th Park Tower Next Dance Festival at Park Tower Hall, Tokyo |
| Oct 2001 | “Be”-duo version- Dance Selection, Morishita Studio, Tokyo |
| Feb 2002 | “Distance” The 6th Park Tower Next Dance Festival at Park Tower Hall, Tokyo |
| Apr 2002 | “Be” -duo version- Deajeon International Dance Festival, Deajeon, Korea |
| May 2002 | “Be” -duo version- Pntemps de la Danse, Tunis, Tunisia |
| “Be” -duo version- “Distance” CCNT, Centre Choreographique National de Tours France | |
| Jul 2002 | “Be” -duo version- ImPulsTans 8 tention • Vienna, Austria |
| Aug 2002 | “Be” -duo version- Dance Biennale Tokyo 2002, Aoyama Round Theater, Tokyo |
| Jan 2003 | “Be” -duo version- Japanese Contemporary Dance Showcase, Japan Society, NY |
| Feb 2003 | “Against Newton” Dance Exhibition, New National Theater, Tokyo |
| “Es” video, Dance and Media, Goethe Institute Tokyo | |
| Feb 2004 | "Against Newton II " Dance Planet, New National Theater Tokyo |
| Apr 2004 | "Be" -duo version- (Swarthmore Collage, Philadelphia, USA) |
| May 2004 | "Be" -duo version- (SAKIRA Dance Mission M005, Ritto, Japan) |
| Jul 2004 | "Be" -duo version- (Indonesia Dance Festival, Jakarta) |
| Sep 2004 | "Distance" Company Performance cooperated by Yokohama Red Brick Hall No.1, Yokohama) |
| Nov 2004 | "Be" -duo version- ("We are gonna go Dancing!! vol.5" Okayama, Sasebo, Japan) |
| Dec 2004 | "Against Newton" Company Performance cooperated by AI Hall, Itami, Japan) |
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