YOKKO- Butoh Theatre Artist, Actor, Choreographer
Yoshiko Sienkiewicz - Director, Movement Director, Theatre Educator & Filmmaker
"Butoh Awakens My Soul; Butoh Guides Me To What I Am." -Yokko
(Undated Jan. 2021)
Producing Artistic Director/ Founder
Yokko (Yoshiko Usami Sienkiewicz) is an Actor, Butoh & Theatre artist and Movement & Yoga Instructor from Nagoya, Japan. Yokko has acted in, devised and choreographed a variety of local and international shows, having won several awards, including “Best One-Woman Show”, "Best Choreography" “Best Physical Theatre” and "Best Actress" for Butoh Medea (United Solo NYC 2014 & 2015 at Theatre Row, TVolution 2018 Hollywood Fringe Awards). Butoh Medea was selected to perform in Warsaw, Poland. (United Solo Europe 2015, Teatre Syrena), toured Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2015, nominated The Asian Arts Award. It has been touring Europe and Universities in the USA since 2016. (www.butohmedea.com) Her work is deeply rooted in Japanese culture, and she collaborates with local artists to blend different disciplines to create new work, then bring the work to the world. *United Solo Europe: Fiona Shaw, LynnMarie Rink have performed there in 2014
During 2008-2009, she has shared Japanese performing arts to community, and she was selected scholarship program at University of Oregon to exchange Japanese Performing Arts and Culture to local communities in Eugene, Oregon (2008-2009), there she found Japanese Performing Arts company (JPAC), and held several workshops, and directed and performed several shows. She received International Understanding Award through JPAC's activity.
Other Theatre credits include: Lone Wolf Tribe's Body Concert (Labapalooza! 2018 at St. Ann's Warehouse), Hide Your Fires (Pan Asian Rep's NU Works, United Solo 2017: Theatre Row, Hollywood Fringe Festival 2019), BALDY (CRS NYC, United Solo 2013, Hollywood Fringe 2013, Fringe NYC 2012), Dance Credits Include: Shira Hime Ryu (NY Butoh Institute Festival 2018 at Theatre For The New City), Hijikata Tatsumi’s Last Words (Dance Medium, Noguchi Room, Hijikata Archive, Keio University, 2018), ManJuShaGe:A flower on the earth, A flower in the Sky (Dance Medium, Noguchi Room, Hijikata Archive, Keio University, 2017), FACET (Irondale Center, White Wave, Hollywood Fringe 2013).
Her choreographed & Directed work, SHINKA has been developed and received several awards such as Outstanding Production, Outstanding Choreography, and Outstanding Ensemble (Planet Connections 2018), and the show was also received Outstanding Premier Production of a play, and she received outstanding choreography & Movement at New York Innovative Theatre Award season 2018-2019. (The show and her were nominated also for Outstanding Director, Outstanding and Outstanding Actress for featured role) for the season 2018-2019 at New York Innovative Theatre Awards.
FILM & MUSIC VIDEOS:
Yokko also acted in several local and international films, one of which is the Student Academy Winner film, Cloud-Kumo (2016). Recently, she has been appearing several music videos as a Butoh dancer including Cage The Elephant (Grammy Winner - Best Rock Album 2017)- Ready To Let Go (2019), HOKO - I don't Know Where We Went Wrong (2020), NOIA- AUSENCIAS (2019) directed by Amy Gardner, POW! - Dream Decay (2019), and Automatic - Too Much Money (2019)
WORKSHOPS:
She has been regularly offering workshops (Butoh & Movement, Butoh & Physical Theatre, Transformation, and Movement for Actors) in several places include NYC, Atelier Teatro Fisico Performing Arts University in Turin (Italy), Edinburgh (UK), Warsaw (Poland), Izmir (Turkey), St. Lawrence University (NY), SUNY New Paltz (NY), Amherst College (MA), Actors Studio Dram School MFA, Stella Adler Academy of Acting (LA), The Actors Studio(NYC), and at some events such as UNFIX NYC and Ecstatic Dance. She served as a guest choreographer at LIU Brooklyn BFA Dance program Fall 2019.
UNIVERSITY TEACHING:
currently...
Pace University (Actors Studio Dram School MFA, International Performance Ensemble BA directing & Acting)
LIU Brooklyn / New Group BFA acting studio program
past...
Brooklyn College (MFA Acting), SUNY New Paltz, CUNY City College, Atelia Teatro Fisico (Italy)
Awards
Butoh Medea
Winner of Best One-Woman Show (United Solo NYC 2014)
Winner of Best Choreography (United Solo NYC 2014)
Winner of Best Physical Theatre (United Solo NYC 2015)
Winner of Best Actress (TVolution 2018 Hollywood Fringe Award)
Recipient of Special Award (Thespis Festival 2018, Kiel Germany)
Nominated for Asian Arts Award (Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2015)
Nominated for Best International (Hollywood Fringe Festival 2018)
Nominated for Best Dance & Physical Theatre (Hollywood Fringe Festival 2018)
Visit Official Website of Butoh Medea
Hide Your Fires
Winner of Best Physical Theatre (United Solo NYC 2017)
Winner of Best Sound Design (United Solo NYC 2017) with Jorge Olivo
Winner of Best International (Hollywood Fringe Festival 2019)
Winner of ENCORE Producers Award (Hollywood Fringe Festival 2019)
Nominated for Best O face Award (Hollywood Fringe Festival 2019)
SHINKA
Winner of Outstanding Premier Production of A Play (NY Innovative Theatre Foundation:NYIT Award 2019)
Winner of Outstanding Choerography & Movement (NY Innovative Theatre Foundation: NYIT Award 2019)
Winner of Outstanding Production of a Dance & experimental production (Planet Connections Theatre Festivity 2018)
Winner of Outstanding Choreography (Planet Connections Theatre Festivity 2018)
Winner of Outstanding Ensemble (Planet Connections Theatre Festivity 2018)
Nominated for Outstanding Actress featured role (The New York Innovative theatre awards 2018-2019) *IT award
Nominated for Outstanding Direction (NY IT Award 2018-2019)
ANTIGONE
Nominee for Best Supporting Actress (Antigone, Planet Connection 2016),
BALDY
Nominee for Best International Performance (Hollywood Fringe Festival 2013)
En
A recipient of 2019 Brooklyn Arts Fund a new project, En.
(Sep. 13-15, Triskelion Arts, Brooklyn).
During 2008-2009, she has shared Japanese performing arts to community, and she was selected scholarship program at University of Oregon to exchange Japanese Performing Arts and Culture to local communities in Eugene, Oregon (2008-2009), there she found Japanese Performing Arts company (JPAC), and held several workshops, and directed and performed several shows. She received International Understanding Award through JPAC's activity.
Other Theatre credits include: Lone Wolf Tribe's Body Concert (Labapalooza! 2018 at St. Ann's Warehouse), Hide Your Fires (Pan Asian Rep's NU Works, United Solo 2017: Theatre Row, Hollywood Fringe Festival 2019), BALDY (CRS NYC, United Solo 2013, Hollywood Fringe 2013, Fringe NYC 2012), Dance Credits Include: Shira Hime Ryu (NY Butoh Institute Festival 2018 at Theatre For The New City), Hijikata Tatsumi’s Last Words (Dance Medium, Noguchi Room, Hijikata Archive, Keio University, 2018), ManJuShaGe:A flower on the earth, A flower in the Sky (Dance Medium, Noguchi Room, Hijikata Archive, Keio University, 2017), FACET (Irondale Center, White Wave, Hollywood Fringe 2013).
Her choreographed & Directed work, SHINKA has been developed and received several awards such as Outstanding Production, Outstanding Choreography, and Outstanding Ensemble (Planet Connections 2018), and the show was also received Outstanding Premier Production of a play, and she received outstanding choreography & Movement at New York Innovative Theatre Award season 2018-2019. (The show and her were nominated also for Outstanding Director, Outstanding and Outstanding Actress for featured role) for the season 2018-2019 at New York Innovative Theatre Awards.
FILM & MUSIC VIDEOS:
Yokko also acted in several local and international films, one of which is the Student Academy Winner film, Cloud-Kumo (2016). Recently, she has been appearing several music videos as a Butoh dancer including Cage The Elephant (Grammy Winner - Best Rock Album 2017)- Ready To Let Go (2019), HOKO - I don't Know Where We Went Wrong (2020), NOIA- AUSENCIAS (2019) directed by Amy Gardner, POW! - Dream Decay (2019), and Automatic - Too Much Money (2019)
WORKSHOPS:
She has been regularly offering workshops (Butoh & Movement, Butoh & Physical Theatre, Transformation, and Movement for Actors) in several places include NYC, Atelier Teatro Fisico Performing Arts University in Turin (Italy), Edinburgh (UK), Warsaw (Poland), Izmir (Turkey), St. Lawrence University (NY), SUNY New Paltz (NY), Amherst College (MA), Actors Studio Dram School MFA, Stella Adler Academy of Acting (LA), The Actors Studio(NYC), and at some events such as UNFIX NYC and Ecstatic Dance. She served as a guest choreographer at LIU Brooklyn BFA Dance program Fall 2019.
UNIVERSITY TEACHING:
currently...
Pace University (Actors Studio Dram School MFA, International Performance Ensemble BA directing & Acting)
LIU Brooklyn / New Group BFA acting studio program
past...
Brooklyn College (MFA Acting), SUNY New Paltz, CUNY City College, Atelia Teatro Fisico (Italy)
Awards
Butoh Medea
Winner of Best One-Woman Show (United Solo NYC 2014)
Winner of Best Choreography (United Solo NYC 2014)
Winner of Best Physical Theatre (United Solo NYC 2015)
Winner of Best Actress (TVolution 2018 Hollywood Fringe Award)
Recipient of Special Award (Thespis Festival 2018, Kiel Germany)
Nominated for Asian Arts Award (Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2015)
Nominated for Best International (Hollywood Fringe Festival 2018)
Nominated for Best Dance & Physical Theatre (Hollywood Fringe Festival 2018)
Visit Official Website of Butoh Medea
Hide Your Fires
Winner of Best Physical Theatre (United Solo NYC 2017)
Winner of Best Sound Design (United Solo NYC 2017) with Jorge Olivo
Winner of Best International (Hollywood Fringe Festival 2019)
Winner of ENCORE Producers Award (Hollywood Fringe Festival 2019)
Nominated for Best O face Award (Hollywood Fringe Festival 2019)
SHINKA
Winner of Outstanding Premier Production of A Play (NY Innovative Theatre Foundation:NYIT Award 2019)
Winner of Outstanding Choerography & Movement (NY Innovative Theatre Foundation: NYIT Award 2019)
Winner of Outstanding Production of a Dance & experimental production (Planet Connections Theatre Festivity 2018)
Winner of Outstanding Choreography (Planet Connections Theatre Festivity 2018)
Winner of Outstanding Ensemble (Planet Connections Theatre Festivity 2018)
Nominated for Outstanding Actress featured role (The New York Innovative theatre awards 2018-2019) *IT award
Nominated for Outstanding Direction (NY IT Award 2018-2019)
ANTIGONE
Nominee for Best Supporting Actress (Antigone, Planet Connection 2016),
BALDY
Nominee for Best International Performance (Hollywood Fringe Festival 2013)
En
A recipient of 2019 Brooklyn Arts Fund a new project, En.
(Sep. 13-15, Triskelion Arts, Brooklyn).
