French Embassy in Japan Award -
Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels
Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels is supporting the French Embassy in Japan Award - Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels for young choreographers, presented at the Yokohama Dance Collection Festival. The 2024 laureate is Moe Kobayashi.
The Yokohama Dance Collection program was inaugurated in 1996 with a view to creating an international dance platform in Japan. Open to the public and organized mainly at the Yokohama Redbrick Warehouse Number 1, it consists of two competitions (I and II) bringing together young choreographers, along with a program of performances featuring prior winners and foreign dance troupes selected through international exchange initiatives.
As part of Competition I, in which nearly 100 young international choreographers perform before a jury of Japanese professionals, the French Embassy in Japan has recognized one young choreographer per year since 2000. The winner receives a scholarship for a residence in France, in collaboration with a national choreographic institute. Since 2018, the Embassy has partnered with the Centre National de la Danse in Pantin (“CND”), offering each annual award recipient the chance to participate in CND’s Camping program.
Photo : © Marc Domage
Moe Kobayashi
In 2024, Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels is supporting the French Embassy in Japan Award - Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels for young choreographers, presented at the Yokohama Dance Collection Festival. The 2024 laureate is Moe Kobayashi.
Yoko Omori
Yoko Omori is a graduate of the Japan Women’s College of Physical Education. Trained in both classical and urban dance, Omori emphasizes originality in movement, choreography, and her own approach to sound. Whether in her solo projects or group pieces, she has developed a unique style that blends different genres. She has received awards such as Outstanding New Artist at Yokohama Dance Collection in 2019 and Best Dancer at its 2021 edition, as well as second prize at Danse élargie in Paris in 2022.
Her group piece Help was presented in five locations in Japan and around the world, and her solo piece PLAIN-chain was shown in Italy and France in 2023.
Photo: © Honoka Tamura
Ayaka Ono and Akira Nakazawa
Ayaka Ono and Akira Nakazawa constitute the performing arts collective entitled "Ayaka Ono Akira Nakazawa Spacenotblank", formed in 2012. They seek to develop new protocols and mechanisms for performing arts, attempting to break away from preconceived ideas about the performing arts.
They actively collaborate with different artists for each work, with a creative process that pays special attention to communicating with their environment.
Ayane Nakagawa
In 2023, Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels is supporting the Institut Français du Japon for the staging of Nihondatedatte, a program of two shows : my choice, my body, and Anchor by Ayane NAKAGAWA, as part of the 2023 Yokohama Dance Collection.
Yu Okamoto
Tokyo-based dancer and choreographer Yu Okamoto was born in 1988. She studied classical dance from her earliest childhood, alongside modern jazz, urban dance and tap dance. She has worked with a number of choreographers, including Akira Kasai, Kuniko Kisanuki, Ryohei Kondo and others, as well as directors such as Toshiki Okada. Ms. Okamoto heads the TABATHA dance troupe, which she founded in 2011. A recipient of many awards, she also stood out as a finalist for the 2012 Toyota Choreography Award.
Photo: ©Bozzo
Miwa Shibata
In 2023, Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels is supporting the Institut Français du Japon for the presentation of Victorious Cupid by Miwa SHIBATA, as part of the 2023 Yokohama Dance Collection.
