Kensaku Shinohara

Born in Sapporo, Japan, Shinohara started dancing and creating his own work while studying anthropology at International Christian University in Tokyo in 2004. After dancing and touring nationally and internationally with companies such as Nomade-s, Grinderman, and with his own company Team Punchinello, he moved to New York City in 2009 for further creative work. Trained in modern and contemporary dance techniques as well as improvisation, Shinohara has collaborated with artists such as Jennifer Muller, Daria Faïn, Yoshiko Chuma and others.

He has presented his works in New York at venues including Queens Museum, Movement Research at Judson, St. Marks Church, 92nd street Y, One Bryant Park, Dumbo Arts Festival, LaMaMa Experimental Theater, Brooklyn Studios for Dance, Queens Fringe Festival, WAX Works, Center for Performance Research, NYU Tisch, as well as other cities including Tucson (AZ), Milwaukee (WI), Pittsburgh (PA), Toronto (Canada), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Tainan (Taiwan), Tokyo, Yokohama, Akita, Sapporo (Japan). His works have been described as ''A spirited and fun take on urban experience,'' (Art Values Education) "A sophisticated structure that allowed for playfulness, unpredictability and pushed time and space" (Karen Bernard, New Dance Alliance) and ''Filled with humor''(OFFOFFOFF.com). As a dancer he has been described as possessing an "electrifying presence" (Shepherd Express). Shinohara is a recipient of a Queens Arts Fund New Work Grant (2016), Japan Foundation New York Grant for Arts & Culture (2016), Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation Observership (2015-16). A dance event, Time For Dance in collaboration with Mana Kawamura was awarded an Akita City Cultural Development Grant (2016). In 2015 he was a finalist for the Yokohama Dance Collection EX competition. He has been a resident artist at The Field (NYC), Center for Performance Research (Brooklyn), BrooklynStudios for Dance (Brooklyn), MANA CONTEMPORARY (NJ), Dance Omi (Ghent, NY) and Earthdance (MA). He is an artist-in-residence at International Interdisciplinary Artist Consortium (MA) in 2017. Shinohara has taught contact improvisation, composition and technique workshops at Gibney Dance Center (New York), Emory University (Atlanta), Artifact Dance Project (Tucson), Canadian Contemporary Dance Theater (Toronto), PKTB (Malaysia), Seed Dance (Taiwan), Architanz (Tokyo), CONTE-SAPPORO (Sapporo) and more. Since 2013, he has curated CRUSHED MUFFINS, an artist gathering series in New York City.

www.kensakushinohara.com