Born and raised in Tokyo, Japan, Takehiro “Take” Ueyama moved to the United States in 1991 to study dance at the Juilliard School in New York City. Upon graduation, he was invited to join the Paul Taylor Dance Company, touring the world with them for 8 years. In 2003 Ueyama debuted his first choreographic work, Tsubasa, performed with fellow Taylor dancers at the McKenna Theatre at SUNY New Paltz, NY, and in 2005 founded TAKE Dance.

Ueyama has enjoyed worldwide recognition; his Sakura Sakura was a prizewinner at the International Modern Dance Choreographic Competition in Burgos, Spain, and he was one of four choreographers selected for the 2006 Free to Rep at FSU’s Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography. In 2010 he was the first choreographer to win the S & R Foundation’s prestigious Washington Award. Ueyama received the 2015 Jadin Wong Award for Emerging Asian American choreographer by Asian American Arts Alliance. Most recently, Ueyama was awarded a 2022 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship Grant.

This year, he will create a new work for University of Richmond, I. M. Terrell Dance, Texas, Troy University, Alabama, Ballet X, and his own company, TAKE Dance.

Workshop: Contemporary Dance w/ Take

Ueyama’s class offers traditional modern dance technique (Graham and Taylor) through a contemporary lens. A gentle floor warm up leads you into full-bodied, vigorous movement throughout the space. Class often culminates in a dynamic phrase in Ueyama’s distinctive style, leaving you sweaty, exhausted, and hungry for more!

Erica Patricia Saucedo (she/her) is a dance artist, educator and organizer based in Austin, Texas. Enlivened by pursuing collaborative body-based projects that strive for decentralized power, fearless inquiry, affective curiosity, socio-political irreverence, and shameless bodies, Saucedo’s choreographic commissions include works for: Offbeat X, The University of Texas at Austin, Mini Movement Fest in Dallas, First Street Studio, 92Y Street Fest, Danspace Project, Triskelion Arts, Austin Dance Festival and The Actors Fund Arts Center. She is also the co-director of Geografía–a dance festival that centralizes social justice-driven dance artists in Texas.

photo by Laura Morsman Photography

Workshop: Int/Adv Contemporary w/ Erica

This class explores ways to attune to and connect with the body as a vessel of wisdom, culture, and connection. This contemporary dance class activates ritualized movement sequences and sensation hunting to achieve bold modes of presence, play, and expression. Class will begin with a thorough warm-up that navigates between internal and external landscapes while cultivating a deepened awareness of the structural desires of the body. Building on exercises and choreography that focus on balance, strength, flexibility, rhythm and coordination, this class dives into the cathartic and creative potential of movement and togetherness. Recommended for dancers with a basic understanding of modern/contemporary dance, though all levels are welcome and encouraged to join!

Emi Matsushita is a movement artist, speaker, educator, and creative entrepreneur. She is a mindset & business coach for freelance dancers; to encourage owning one’s artistry to thrive sustainably. Over 25 years of training, performing, teaching, and choreographing in various styles worldwide, she has also facilitated classes, workshops, and established her own performance team. She curates and produces events & performances that connect artists to the community. While getting an MFA in dance science, she conducted research in the hip hop dance battle culture. She loves harnessing art as a medium through which powerful, positive growth can affect individuals and communities. She currently teaches at the University of North Texas, hosts her own workshops, and creates events to support dancers. She is also a wife, mother, and student of life; continually chasing curiosities and stirring it in others.

Workshop: Mind-Body Movement Lab w/ Emi

As a dancing body, how much does your brain affect your movement? This workshop is a space of exploration and inquiry around how our mind affects our body and performance. We will test different ways we can manipulate our performance by utilizing our mind to put us into certain states of being and feeling. The collaborative workshop will consist of a warm-up, meditative mindfulness practices, freestyle/improvisational movement, and self-inquiry through journaling and some group work. Come with a curious and open mind to tap into a new level of movement!