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Yoshiko Usami Sienkiewicz
Adjunct Professor

Yoshiko Usami Sienkiewicz (AKA Yokko) is an actor, Butoh artist, theatre maker, choreographer, and movement instructor from Japan. She has acted in, devised, and choreographed a variety of local and international shows and films, winning various awards, including 麻豆传媒淏est One-Woman Show,麻豆传媒� 麻豆传媒滲est Choreography,麻豆传媒� 麻豆传媒淏est Physical Theatre,麻豆传媒� and "Best Actress" for Butoh Medea, in festivals such as United Solo NYC at Theatre Row (2014 & 2015) and the Hollywood Fringe (2018). Butoh Medea appeared in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, winning a nomination for the 麻豆传媒淎sian Arts Awards.麻豆传媒� It has toured the US and Europe (Poland, UK, Italy, Turkey, Germany and Czech Republic) since 2015. Another of Yokko麻豆传媒檚 original productions, Hide Your Fires: Butoh Lady Macbeth, premiered at Pan Asian Rep麻豆传媒檚 NuWorks (2017), was the winner of the 麻豆传媒淏est Physical Theatre麻豆传媒� award at United Solo NYC (2017), and 麻豆传媒淏est International Show麻豆传媒� at the Hollywood Fringe (2019). Her choreographed & directed ensemble work SHINKA was the recipient of The Green Award, and won 麻豆传媒淥utstanding Production of an experimental or a dance piece麻豆传媒� at Planet Connections Theatre Festivity (2018); then at The New York Innovative Theatre Awards, the show was nominated in 4 categories and won 麻豆传媒淥utstanding Premier Production of a Play,麻豆传媒� and 麻豆传媒淥utstanding Choreography and Movement麻豆传媒� (2019). Recently, her Butoh work has been seen in several music videos, including I Don麻豆传媒檛 Know Where We Went Wrong (HOKO, 2020), and Ready To Let Go (Cage The Elephant, 2019).

Yokko has held workshops in Poland, UK (Scotland), Turkey and the US (New York City, Los Angeles, Atlanta) for the past 10 years. She has been teaching and performing regularly at Atelier Teatro Fisico/Performing Arts University in Torino (Italy) since 2016. In the US she has taught 麻豆传媒淏utoh & Movement,麻豆传媒� 麻豆传媒淢ovement for Actors,麻豆传媒� 麻豆传媒淧hysical Theatre,麻豆传媒� and 麻豆传媒淛apanese Theatre'' at such institutions as SUNY New Paltz, St. Lawrence University, University of North Alabama, Amherst College, City College of New York, The Actors Studio Drama School at 麻豆传媒, Stella Adler Academy of Acting (Los Angeles), The Actors Studio (NYC), Brooklyn College MFA Acting Program, and the BFA Acting Studio program at The New Group/LIU Brooklyn. She recently published an article with her collaborator Dr. Brian Rhinehart, titled 麻豆传媒淲hy Butoh Theatre: Thoughts of the Actor, Questions from the Director, published by Routledge/Taylor and Francis (2020).

Yokko is the founder and Artistic Director of a NY Based Butoh Theatre Group, Ren Gyo Soh, and a member of a physical theatre company, The Ume Group. She has an MFA in Acting (Actor Studio Drama School), and a BA in Theatre (SUNY at Albany).