Kei Takei (武井 慧, born December 30, 1946)[1][2] is a dancer-choreographer and the creator of Moving Earth dance company.

Early years

Born in Tokyo, Takei studied a variety of dance styles including folk dances, ballet, and Japanese classical dance.[3] She arrived in New York from Japan in 1967 for a Fulbright Scholarship at Juilliard School of Music based on the recommendation of Anna Sokolow.[1] In 1969, Takei formed her dance troupe, Moving Earth.[1] She has been the recipient of two Guggenheim Fellowships (1978 and 1988).[4]

Main work

Her signature work, Light, is an ongoing creation composed of more than 30 parts and spanning 30 years, with the choreographer drawing on both Western dance traditions as well as Japanese dance, martial arts, and theater. Each section of Light has a different theme and are both autonomous and woven into the whole opus and are not necessary performed in chronological order.[5] The parts range from solo performances to works for more than 20 performers.[6] Light premiered in 1969 with Takei's Moving Earth company performing part 1 at The National Shakespeare Company Cubiculo Theater in New York.[7]

Personal life

Takei married dancer-choreographer Lazuro Brezer in 1980. They had one son, Raishun.[3] Brezer became Associate Director Takei's Moving Earth company in 1981. After 25 years in New York City, Takei returned to her native Japan in 1992[8] and created Moving Earth Orient Sphere.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Kei Takei". Oxford Dictionary of Dance.
  2. ↑ 細川江利子 [Eriko Hosokawa] (2004). 日本人批評家が捉えたケイ・タケイの作品《ライト (Light)》の特性 [Characteristic Study of KEI TAKEI's Dance Series "Light" From performance reviews written by Japanese critics]. Review Journal of the Japan Association of Physical Education for Women (21). Retrieved 2017-08-07.
  3. 1 2 "Kei Takei's Moving Earth - Kei Takei". keitakei.org. Retrieved 2015-09-30.
  4. ↑ "Kei Takei". John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. Retrieved 2017-08-07.
  5. ↑ SEGAL, LEWIS (1991-04-29). "Dance : Kei Takei Puts 'Light' on UCLA". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2015-10-01.
  6. ↑ Dunning, Jennifer (1982-08-13). "DANCE: KEI TAKEI IN 'LIGHT'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2015-09-30.
  7. ↑ "Kei Takei's Moving Earth - The Dances". keitakei.org. Retrieved 2015-09-30.
  8. ↑ Anderson, Jack (2001-11-05). "A Dancer Casts a Spell and Becomes a Cloud". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2015-09-30.
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