Where can I dance contact improvisation in Japan?
Yokoso (Welcome)!
This page is for international visitors to Japan who are looking for places to dance Contact Improvisation (CI). Dancing CI while traveling in another country can be a truly delightful experience, offering a unique way to connect with people beyond language barriers.
Contact improvisation classes, workshops and jams are mainly found in the major cities in Japan.
Most CI communities and groups in Japan have websites or social media pages where one will be able to find more detailed information. Check out the right column for a list of places to dance (*in no particular order) and additional resources.
dance into spring ... ♪
Below is a list of some (intensive) CI workshops happening in Japan in the coming months. Please see each event page for details.
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March 20 ~ 23rd, From the Ground Up workshop with Alicia Grayson in Tokyo
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March 20 ~ 23rd, Chico Katsube and Shoko Kashima (CIco), CI workshop in Aichi
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April 4th ~ 8th, Embodying the Miraculous (Heart Plexus) workshop with Dolores Dewhurst-Marks in Tokyo/Yokohama
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April 17 ~ 20th. Collective dance sharing with Ryuta Iwashita at Ashigara fureai village, Kanagawa
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April 28 ~ 30th, CINN Tokyo Contact Impro Festival with Charlie Morrissey and Kirstie Simson
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May 2 ~ 5th, CI Camp with Charlie Morrissey and Kirstie Simson in Northern Okayama
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May 11 ~ 20th, Japan 10 days experimental dance residency in nature and studio (Living Somatic Project) Kagoshima Prefecture
Join the Tokyo CI LINE Group to receive recent updates!
https://line.me/ti/g/aR35HZICIw
In Japan, people use LINE for communication and a CI Tokyo LINE group was created by a free spirited dancer, Benni (thanks Benni!) to share information about CI offerings around the Tokyo area.
This open chat would be one of the places to ask people if they want to get together and dance at the park, for example. While most of the communication happens in Japanese, there are a handful of people who speak English in this group, so you will be in good hands ♡
FYI : the CI World Jam map page (https://www.contactimprov.com/asia.html) does not have up to date information with respect to dancing CI in Tokyo.
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Please be respectful of the guidelines of each community and/or space. The following is a good principle to adhere to:
"CI has a basic principle that each person takes responsibility for themselves. I am the only person who can be responsible for my body, so I need to keep a part of me awake - the part that can sense and communicate (physically or verbally) my needs, limits, and desires. I need to keep myself safe and from here I can begin to care for the group" - Martin Keogh, Dancing Deeper Still
a mindful note
This page is intended to be comprehensive but it may not have ALL of the up to date information as things are always in motion. Please accept my imperfections. I'm also open to feedback so if there's something else that may help facilitate your dancing journey in Japan, please kindly let me know.
Thank you!
このページでは、できる限り包括的な内容を目指していますが、すべての最新情報が反映されているとは限りません。もし情報に誤りがあったり、ご自身の（コミュニティの）説明が気に入らない、または不適切だと感じた場合は、どうぞお気軽にお知らせください。まだまだ至らない点もあるかと思いますが、何卒ご理解いただければ嬉しいです。
ありがとうございます！
This page was last updated on March 10, 2025.
Tokyo
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Tokyo Contact Improvisation
Yasukichi Suzuki, one of Japan's longtime CI teachers, organizes classes in the Ota Ward. She also teaches regularly in Nakano (see below) and hosts a monthly "Tsuki Jam," often accompanied by improvised music. Fascinated by CI in water, her teaching is gentle, humble, and profound to experience on land as well.
email : yasukici☆gmail.com (please change the ☆ to @)
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Tokyo Nakano Jam (東京中野ジャム)
Perhaps the recent "hub" for dancing CI in Tokyo, Izumi Kuribayashi organizes CI workshops and jams on a regular basis with a diverse array of talented facilitators. This group values openness and a spirit of experimentation, making it a delightfully welcoming space for those interested in CI and researching other somatic and improvisational forms.
To learn more and to access the group, please email or connect with Izumi via Facebook. The venues are located in the Nakano area—an area that is slightly west, yet in the middle of Tokyo.
email : izumikuribayashi@gmail.com
FB : Izumi Kuribayashi
Workshop with Alicia Grayson March 20 ~ 23rd.
Minori Nagai and Ryuhei Uemoto create art projects, performances, and also offer contemporary dance classes and workshops at their cozy AAPA studio, one of which is CI (Adachi ward). The two are very warm-hearted and thoughtful.
email : aapajp@gmail.com
FB : AAPA（アアパ／Away At Performing Arts)
A unique group established in 2023 promoting art, performance, and community. CI workshops are currently organized by Tatsuya Yasumoto in the Naka-meguro district. Tatsuya's theater background and athleticism is sure to add flavor to the CI experience. Please see Para Collage's CI tab for updates.
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Contact Work
Hanano Teshirogi; a true gem, dancer/actor, often teaches a class called "Contact Work" at studio RADA, a ballet and contemporary dance studio in the Nihonbashi district . Check the studio's monthly calendar for details. Hanano also privately organizes workshops and jams through CI-bu (CI部):
IG : contact_work
CI communities and groups beyond Tokyo
A non-profit organization founded in 2014 with the purpose of enjoying and promoting CI. The core members of this community are kind, energetic, and welcoming. CI Aichi usually holds lab and jam sessions 2 - 3 times/month, mainly in Nagoya and Toyota cities.
email : dancec.i.aichi@gmail.com
FB : CI あいち
IG : ci_aichi.japan
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CI brisa Kyoto
A community that was recently formed (August 2024), CI brisa is an inclusive community for everyone who loves CI. This new and vibrant community dances mainly in Kyoto and Osaka.
Core members: Kanami Itakura (organizer), Kaishi Murata, and Miwa Shimizu
email : ensembleplay818@gmail.com
FB : CI brisa Kyoto
IG : ci_brisa.kyoto
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Monochrome Circus
A contemporary dance company based in Kyoto, the core members of Monochrome Circus are Kohei Sakamoto and Yuko Mori. The two have been offering CI classes for over twenty years in Kyoto and all over Japan.
FB : Kayou-contacto (火曜コンタクト党）
IG : monochromecircus.kyoto
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CI in Kagoshima
Chico Katsube and Shoko Kashima (CIco), two extraordinary, long time CI artists are regularly facilitating opportunities to research CI, dance improvisation, and performance all throughout Japan. More recently, they have been organizing intensive workshops in Isa, Kagoshima to share their unique gifts. An exciting workshop is coming up March 20 ~ 23! (host: CI Aichi), don't miss the opportunity to dive deep into their work.
IG : cico_chico_shoko
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CI in Fukuoka (コンタクトインプロ福岡）
Spearheaded by Daisuke Yamamoto, the community in Fukuoka has re-started practicing CI together once or twice a month.
email : d.yamamoto0101@gmail.com
FB：コンタクトインプロ 福岡
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CI in Isumi, Chiba
Akane Jishage has started organizing CI experiential workshops in Isumi city, Chiba Prefecture. Generally held on a monthly basis, the AAPA folks (see above, in the Tokyo section) are usually the facilitators.
info (in Japanese) : https://www.aapa.jp/ci-isumi
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CI in Hiroshima
Monthly CI practice sessions are organized by dance artist Masako Kushima around Hiroshima city. Upcoming workshop with Monochrome Circus March 1st & 2nd, 2025.
More CI - tunities (opportunities)
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CI in other locations
While not occuring on a regular basis, CI opportunities are starting up in places like Shizuoka, Toyama, Uenohara (Yamanashi), and Yakushima Island (Kagoshima). So perhaps, you may luckily stumble upon something during your travels!
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Other dance spaces
Not CI centric; however, there are locations that offer neat creation workshops and/or opportunities for movement research, which may include elements of CI. Just a few examples: Session house in Kagurazaka (Tokyo), NPO Dance Box (Kobe) and Dance Base Yokohama.
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CI in rural Japan !?
My dream is for there to be a CI community in rural Japan sort of like Larret a Venir in France, as well as other delightful CI communities I stumbled upon in Southern France. If you share a similar vision, perhaps we can chat and envision together . . .
CI Festivals in Japan
A biannual CI festival organized by CIco (Chico Katsube and Shoko Kashima). Chico and Shoko moved to Isa, Kagoshima Prefecture in 2012. Since then the festival has been held on beautiful Jisso camp grounds. i-dance stands for international dance and this is because it is a festival that is held also in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Seoul. Japan is one of the sites.
Organized by C.I.N.N., Hiroko Takahashi and a group of CI enthusiasts, the Tokyo CI festival happens annually during the Golden week holiday. The festival is often held in Tokyo by Yoyogi Park, but at times it is held elsewhere (e.g., 2024 was in Chiba). The upcoming festival will be from April 28th ~ 30th with Kirstie Simson and Charlie Morrissey.
This festival occurs in mid-August, the hottest time of the year in Japan! Held 28 times thus far, the festival has a variety of offerings including a week long contact improvisation intensive with a jam on the very last day. Katja Mustonen from Finland was teaching this past August.
