Yoshiko Chuma

Yoshiko Chuma (中馬 芳子, Chūma Yoshiko, born in Osaka, Japan) is a dancer, a choreographer and the director of the Bessie Award winning performance art group The School of Hard Knocks.[1][2] Described in 2007 by Bloomberg as "a fixture on New York's downtown scene for over a quarter-century", her work spans from early "absurdist gaiety" to more recent serious reflection, which nevertheless represents the "maverick imagination and crazy-quilt multimedia work" for which the artist is known.[3] Dance commentators have found her work difficult to classify; in a 2006 profile, Dance Magazine speculated that "One might call her a postmodern choreographer, a movement designer, or a visual artist whose primary medium is human beings--dancers, musicians, pedestrians".[4] Chuma favors abstract art and discourages efforts to interpret her work, telling Bloomberg that "What I do is ambiguous. I don't have a statement. If I had a statement, I'd be a writer".[3] In 2007, Chuma received a Bessie Award honoring her sustained achievements as a choreographer.[5]

  1. ^ Dunning, Jennifer. (March 25, 1979) "Miss Chuma and Dennis Dance". The New York Times. article preview. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
  2. ^ Kriegsman, Alan M. (October 11, 1987) The week of giant steps The Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
  3. ^ a b Tobias, Tobi. (January 15, 2007) Chuma's crazy-quilt choreography returns to Chelsea: N.Y. Dance Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Dance was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Bessie was invoked but never defined (see the help page).