Anton Safonov
Ukraine
Photo Credit - Sergey Minakov
Anton Safonov has participated in internships
with Aura Dance Theatre (Lithuania), K3 –
Centre for Choreography (Germany), and Fresco
Dance Company (Israel). He has also chalked up
training experience at Batsheva Dance Company
(Israel), Deltebre Danca 2015 (Spain), Summer
Intensive 2016 (Portugal), and with Thomas
Mettler’s “Towards Physical Theatre” course in
Switzerland. In 2014 he co-founded M.O.S.T.
dance project with Anton Ovchinnikov, an
initiative to develop contemporary dance in
Ukraine, and in 2016 founded a danceeducational project called Re_DANCE_Formation for people with limited mobility and special
needs. He has participated in the international
Cultural Dialogues: DANCE formation project in
Germany, Bremen, and also choreographed and
danced the piece Game Zone performed in
Ukraine.
Choi Young Hyun
South Korea
Choi Young Hyun graduated from the
Department of Dance at SungKyunKwan
University and completed his M.A. at the Korea
National University of Arts. In May 2011, he
made his choreographic debut with the solo
NOT I, which garnered Second prize for a solo
performance at the MASDANZA International
Choreography Competition in Spain. NOT I has
been performed at the Tanzmesse 2014 and the
Grec festival (Madrid fringe festival) 2015. In
2012, his second work In the air, was
commissioned by MODAFE and performed at
the Daehakro arts theater. In 2015, he was
commissioned by Seoul Foundation Arts &
Culture to create Body work, presented at the
ARCO Theatre. He has also directed dance for
the movie The treacherous in 2014.
Professionally, he has worked with Dance
Theatre ON, Aesoon Dance Company, and
Sang-cheol Choe Dance Company. Other key
awards include: Second prize at Dong-A dance
competition; Grand prize at New Dance Artist
competition; Rising artist recognised by the Arts
Council Korea.
Kota Kihara
Japan
Kota Kihara graduated from the Contemporary
Dance and Choreography course at Nihon
University of Arts with the President Award, and
studied modern dance and contemporary dance
under Miyako Katoh and Yuko Kihara. A dancer
at Miyako Kato Dance Space and Co. Yamada
Un, he has toured with these dance companies
to Israel, Malaysia, Beijing, Dominican
Republic, Brazil and Japan.
Kihara has also danced in The Red Garden of
Gaudi, a work by Emiko Inoue Dance Company
in 2016, GQ GABBY in 2015, Kazuhiro
Nishijima’s Orochi in 2015 and Matthew
Bourne’s Dorian Gray in Japan in 2013.
He has also worked with various other
choreographers, besides being a choreographer
and a dance teacher in Japan. His accolades
include winning the first prize in the 64th and
67th National Dance Competition, the 45th
Saitama Dance Competition and the 20th, 22nd
and 24th Kobe Dance Competition in Japan.
Kihara has also created a number of solo works,
including Pegasus, which premiered in 2014. His
work foot, foot step sound and step was also
selected for MODAFE 2014 and the Seoul
International Dance Festival 2013 in South
Korea.
Lai-Hung Chung
Taiwan
Taiwan-based choreographer Lai Hung-Chung
is a graduate of Taipei National University of
Arts (2012), and is currently rehearsal assistant
at the Dance Division of Tsoying Senior High
School. In 2016 his piece Cloud was chosen for
the Korean World Dance Alliance Asia Pacific.
Lai was selected as one of eight choreographers
for the 2015 WDA International Young
Choreographer Project, creating the piece
Insistence of Beauty. Two other pieces, Colored
and Stranger, were chosen for the 2015
WDA-America Conference & Festival held in
Honolulu, Hawaii. Additionally, he has created
works for the Kaohsiung City Ballet project
“Dance Shoes” from 2014 – 2016.
Nguyen Thanh Chung
Vietnam
Nguyen Thanh Chung graduated from the Viet
Nam Dance College in 2009. He then joined
Arabesque Dance Company in Ho Chi Minh
under the direction of Nguyen Tan Loc for 5
years. In 2014, he moved to Singapore to join
T.H.E Dance Company, performing locally and
in tours to South Korea, Malaysia, and China. In
2016, he moved to Switzerland for further
studies, and received a Scholarship from
Cinevox Junior Company directed by Malou
Fenaroli Leclerc. During his time with Cinevox
Junior he has worked with choreographers such
as Franz Brodmann, Olaf Schmidt, Ihsan
Rustem, and Felix Dumeril.
Son Yu Joung
South Korea/Singapore
Son Yu Joung is an accomplished professional
dancer and choreographer in Classical Korean
and Contemporary Dance. She holds a Masters
in Arts from the prestigious Sungkyunkwan
University, and has 15 years of instructional
tertiary and professional experience, including
Dance Director of SYJ Dance Company (2016 –
current) and Seoul Dance Academy (2001 –
2006); Adjunct Professorship at Seokyeong
University (2007-10); lecturing positions at
Korea National University of Arts (2011-12),
Kookmin University (2010), Far East University
(2007-08). Her professional career has taken her
across the world, spanning Seoul, Japan, Europe
and the USA, covering 20 professional dance
collaborations. Key awards and recognitions
include the Young Art Frontier grant in 2009,
and the Grand Prix at the Dance 2000 Festival
held in 2006. Son moved to Singapore in 2016
and is currently based here.
Yoshika Shinohe
Japan
Yoshika Shinohe studied modern dance and
contemporary dance under Kazuko Toshima
and Shigeyuki Toshima and Akiko Hattori for 15
years. Currently a dancer at Miyako Kato Dance
Space and Tabatha, she has danced in many
projects, such as Akira Kasai's Utsurobune, in
which she toured with the team to Roma and
Palermo, Italy, in 2012, and Hayasasurahime, in
which she toured to Mexico to perform in the
Festival International Cervantino in 2014.
Besides performing in self-directed shows and
collaborations with musicians, composers and
video artists, Shinohe has also appeared on
stages directed by Ryohei Kondo, Mitsutake
Kasai and Kentaro Kujirai and The Bambiest.
Her accolades include winning the first prizes in
the Sendai Dance Competition 2010 and the
Dance Plan 2010, as well as the third prize in the
8th Seoul International Dance Competition.
Together with Kota Kihara, Shinohe and Kihara
are a choreographic duo based in Tokyo, focused
on creating gender-neutral pieces derived from
natural movements of play. As a collective, they
have won the 2012 Kobe National Dance
Competition, and awarded the Grand Prix at the
2012 Dance Summit in Japan.