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CONTEMPORARY DANCE
Co. Ruri Moto (Japan): Matou and Where We Were Born
Matou — Ruri Mito
The Japanese word “matou” denotes wearing, putting on, or being dressed in clothing. Figuratively, it also refers to the process by which the outer layer of our skin is continually renewing and replacing itself, much as snakes shed their skin. Matou, a solo performance by dancer-choreographer Ruri Mito, explores the body as a mysterious, haunted vessel, impossible to comprehend or observe in its entirety because it is in constant flux, its cells endlessly dying and regenerating. Kim Dunphy, in the Sydney Morning Herald, called Matou a “mesmerizing spectacle, ghastly and grueling, but also gorgeous.”
Where We Were Born — Co. Ruri Mito
In Where We Were Born, Mito continues to scrutinize and explore the body as the defining element of human existence. Choreographed by Mito and performed by the seven dancers of her Co. Ruri Mito, the piece weaves and unravels the delicately and intricately connected dancers, creating one kaleidoscopic body.
Read a review of Matou here.
Each matinee performance of Matou and Where We Were Born runs one hour.
Ruri Mito
Ruri Mito was born in Tokyo in 1982. When she was five, she began studying dance at the Modern Ballet Institute, Tokyo, and in 2000 enrolled at the Japan Women’s College of Physical Education, Department of Movement Science Dance Studies, where she received an MA in 2004). She has performed in many countries, choreographing solo and ensemble works and performing in international festivals. From 2004–2010, she performed with the Leni-Basso dance company, and in 2018–19, she was a Junior Fellow of the Sainson Foundation. In addition to being active as an independent dancer in Japan and abroad, she has performed as a guest dancer at the Royal Swedish Ballet in works by Wim Vandekeybus and Sasha Waltz, as well as appearing in Vessel by the Belgian choreographer Damien Jalet and Japanese visual artist Kohei Nawa.
Mito founded Co. Ruri Mito in 2017 and received the Tatsumi Hijikata Memorial Award at the Odoru Akita International Dance Festival that same year. Other awards include First Prize at in the Solo Dance Contest at the Gdansk Dance Festival (2017), the International Jury Prize at the Seoul International Choreography Festival (2016), the Jury prize in the 19MASDANZA Competition (2014), and First Prize in the Jerusalem International Choreography Competition (2013).
Co. Ruri Mito
The dynamic dance company led by the internationally active dancer and choreographer Ruri Mito. Since establishing the troupe in 2017, Mito has aimed at taking time to create high-quality works, thoroughly exploring the unique features of the individual body. The company received a special mention award in the performance category “PLAY” in 2019 at Spiral Independent Creators Festival (SICF) 20.
