YOSHIKO USAMI SIENKIEWICZ

BIO

Founder & Artistic Director
RenGyoSoh
​
The Producing Artistic Director
UNFIX NYC Festival 
(creating an ecology through Arts)
YOKKO is a multi-award winning interdisciplinary Artist from Japan, specialized in Butoh, Acting, Theatre, Movement, and solo performance. They also sometimes layer texts, sound design and moving images in their work. Their works have been presented across the USA and Europe, and received awards including Best One Woman Show, Best Choreography, & Best Physical Theatre at United Solo 2014-2015 (Butoh Medea). 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. Other original Theatre work includes Hide Your Fires: Butoh Lady Macbeth (Pan Asian Rep's NU Works, United Solo 2017: Theatre Row, Hollywood Fringe 2019: Winner of Best International Award), BALDY (CRS NYC, United Solo 2013, Hollywood Fringe 2013, Fringe NYC 2012). Original Butoh Solo dance includes ShiraHime Ryu (NY Butoh Institute Festival 2018 at Theatre For The New City, Butoh Festival Amsterdam 2024), Butoh Dance Video, Pause; Yet Life Goes On (Moving Bodies Online Festival 2020 in Turin, Italy), Butoh Cinema, No One and Oblivion (Film Maudit 2.0 2021). Butoh Dancer credits include: Hijikata Tatsumi’s Last Words by Dance Medium (UNFIX Japan 2018 at Noguchi Room, Hijikata Archive, Keio University), ManJuShaGe:A flower on earth, A flower by Dance Medium (UNFIX JAPAN 2017 at Noguchi Room, Hijikata Archive, Keio University), FACET by The Ume Group (Irondale Center, White Wave, Hollywood Fringe 2013).Their choreographed Butoh work, SHINKA has been developed and received several awards such as Outstanding Production, Outstanding Choreography, and Outstanding Ensemble (Planet Connections Theatre Festivity 2018), and also received Outstanding Premier production of a play, Outstanding Choreography & Movement from The New York Innovative Theatre Awards 2019. Lately, Yokko has been collaborating with musicians, visual artists, and film makers, and appearing as a Butoh dancer in their mediums. Music videos: Cage The Elephant (Grammy Winner - Best Rock Album 2017)- Ready To Let Go (2019), NOIA- AUSENCIAS (2019) directed by Amy Gardner,   POW! - Dream Decay (2019). Art Video/Film: Erik Bergrin's The 8 Dissolutions at Morris Museum, Paz10 Gallery and Times square Billboard. (2022) 

BA in Theatre Arts 
MFA in Acting 
ERYT 500  (Vinyasa, Therapeutic Essentials, Ayurvedic, Healthcare) 

OFFERING WORKSHOPS: 
Yokko has been offering their workshops in the USA & Europe since 2014.  Yokko has taught “Butoh & Movement,” “Movement for Actors,” “Physical Theatre,” “Japanese Theatre'' and “Transformation” at such institutions as SUNY New Paltz, St. Lawrence University, University of North Alabama, Amherst College, City College of New York,  Union College, Stella Adler Academy of Acting (Los Angeles), The Actors Studio (NYC), Occidental College, and Shakespeare & Company (Lenox, MA). She has served as an adjunct faculty member, Brooklyn College MFA Acting, The New Group/LIU Brooklyn BFA Acting Studio, Pace Performing Arts BA Acting & Directing International Performance Ensemble, Dell’ Arte International, Atelier Teatro Fisico (Turin, Italy), and Actors Studio Drama School MFA at Pace University. 
Yokko has published an article with her collaborator Dr. Brian Rhinehart, titled “Why Butoh Theatre: Thoughts of the Actor, Questions from the Director, published by Routledge / Taylor and Francis (2020). Yokko is the recipient of the G. William Hume Fellowship in 2023, and several other scholarships, residency and grants in performing arts. 
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).
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