NEW YORK -- The final segment of Saeko Ichinohe's imaginative three-part dance project "The Tale of Genji" premiered at a theater at New York's Lincoln Center Plaza April 6, as part of a gala event that included a formal dinner and the Second Annual Cultural Bridge Awards.
The awards recognized three individuals who have greatly contributed to cultural understanding between the United States and Japan: Matsuzumi Chaya, Associate Artistic Director, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater; Beate Sirota Gordon, Director Emeritus, Performing Arts Department, Asia Society; and Kiharu Nakamura, a Shinbashi geisha.
In a phone interview from her home in New York, Ichinohe spoke about this year's award recipients and her own work.