LONDON (Kyodo) Two London-based Japanese choreographers showcased their talent Wednesday night in Europe's biggest choreography competition, the Place Prize for Dance 2008.
Saiko Kino, who studied dance at Ochanomizu University in Tokyo, and Chisato Minamimura, who trained at Yokohama National University, are up against 18 other Britain-based choreographers who have made it this far in the biennial contest.
They fought off competition from 174 entrants to gain two of the 20 available commission awards of £5,000 (about ¥940,000) in April.
The work that Kino produced takes inspiration from traditional Japanese culture. Like a "kaidan," or Japanese ghost story, her dance "Ichi" is "part fantasy and part sacredness" and explores how the dual effects of light and darkness can create illusions of movement.