The ELF World Tour 2024 is a creation of the ELF Dance Company, founded and directed by Akihito Ichihara, one of the most virtuosic Butoh dancers today and a member of the renowned Sankai Juku dance group. Internationally acclaimed for his mastery of the Sankai Juku method, Ichihara will be performing alongside the talented dancers Saya Harada and Natsuki Takakuwa.

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The company offers a rare opportunity to explore the excellence of Butoh through a 3-day intensive workshop. This masterclass, open to dancers and performers from all backgrounds, will culminate in a group performance that marks the closing of the festival.

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Participants will dive into the unique movement vocabulary of the ELF Dance Company and Sankai Juku  Butoh Tecnique, blending tradition and innovation to create a singular performative experience. This work represents the pinnacle of a creative journey, concluding the 9-day festival.

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Following the performance, the event continues with Dance & Drinks, a gathering that celebrates creative exchanges and interaction between artists and the audience.

Participation: Open for all who have the experience or curiosity of movement practices, art and nature. No previous experience is needed.

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About Akihito Ichihara:
(Butoh dancer, choreographer )
 

Akihito Ichihara is a prominent Japanese Butoh dancer, founder of the dance company ELF, and a long-time one of the main performers of the renowned Butoh groupe Sankai Juku. We can say that Akihito Ichihara is undoubtedly one of the best, most important, and representative Butoh dancers today. This is due to his involvement with one of the most significant groups, not only in Butoh dance but in the history of avant-garde arts over the last few decades, the Sankai Juku group. For over 40 years, this group has performed at the major contemporary art festivals around the world, and Ichihara has been a part of it for nearly 30 years. This makes Ichihara one of the leading dancers in the company today and, more importantly, a custodian of a refined technique developed by the group, which gives identity and uniqueness to this company within the landscape of global dance history.

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​Throughout his career, Ichihara has worked with some of the most significant names in contemporary Butoh, while also designing stage accessories and contributing to the development of the Sankai Juku method, a technique he believes is the “dance d'école” of Butoh.

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In 2022, Ichihara founded ELF to work with younger dancers, touring internationally and receiving critical acclaim. ELF promotes Butoh that resonates with a wide audience, utilizing a method accessible to both professionals and newcomers to the dance form.

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Ichihara is dedicated to using dance as a tool for empathy, collaboration, and peace, aiming to bridge cultural divides and foster mutual respect through his performances and workshops.