Demonstration & Workshop:

Ichinosuke Umekawa :
A Revolution in Movement

The Traditional and Innovative World of Dance
thursday, october 9, 2025
7:00-8:30PM
ADMISSION IS FREE, RSVP REQUESTED (CLICK HERE)

Ichinosuke Umekawa is a renowned Japanese classical dancer, or buyoka, whose background in both ballet and kabuki allows him to explore new possibilities in Japanese dance, or buyo. He brings a highly refined and modern approach to classical dance that preserves Japanese tradition while also incorporating contemporary expression and a global perspective. 

For his second visit to the Japan Foundation, Los Angeles (the first was in 2019), Umekawa will perform four dances (including one with a yokai subject related to the ongoing exhibition "YOKAI PARADE: Supernatural Monsters from Japan") and then lead an introductory buyo workshop. 

The four dances will be:
Takarabune (Treasure Ship) – Umekawa’s choreography for the traditional nagauta Takarabune, music to bring good fortune
Shishi no Ran-Kyoku (Dance of the Two Lions) – a traditional kabuki dance of two shishi, mythical lion-like creatures with magical powers 
Ume Ichirin (One Stick of Plum Blossom) – Umekawa’s choreography expressing his life story
Oborozukiyo (Hazy, Moonlit Night) – Umekawa’s choreography for the modern musical piece Oborozukiyo

about the lecturer/ performer

Ichinosuke Umekawa

Ichinosuke Umekawa was born in Hita City, Oita Prefecture, and graduated from Niigata University. He began his dance career with the Tokyo Ballet and as a Kabuki actor before transitioning in 2016 to focus on classical Japanese dance (Nihon buyō) as his primary art form. He studied under Living National Treasure Tamasaburō Bandō, who gave him his dance name Ichinosuke Umekawa. In recent years, he has also performed as a partner to Bandō in his acclaimed Talk and Su-odori stage series. 

As a Japanese classical dancer, or buyōka, Umekawa collaborates across diverse fields and genres, forging new paths and building new audiences for the art form. Both in Japan and internationally, he blends Japanese dance with poetry, haiku, orchestral music, animation, and other artistic genres. He currently appears in the in-flight landing video shown on all Japan Airlines (JAL) flights.

His overseas appearances at the invitation of Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs include the 120th Anniversary of Japan-Greece Diplomatic Relations performance in Athens, Greece (2019), the Japan Self-Defense Forces 70th Anniversary Reception at the Official Residence of the Consul General of Japan in Los Angeles (2024), and the upcoming Japan-China Cultural Exchange Performance: Japanese Kabuki Dance and Chinese Peking Opera in China (2025). 

www.umekawaichinosuke.jp