To dance is to journey into the secrets of intuition, memory, dreams; to encounter and express the mysteries of human nature as they are manifest in the body, before words. I believe in the ability of art to move people, to change people, to put people in touch with the best part of their humanity, to remind people of the complexity of their humanity and to cultivate compassion.
- Denise Fujiwara
About Us
What makes Fujiwara’s dance work intriguing? It gently teases you in and surprises you with its imagery and intelligence. Artistic Director Denise Fujiwara asks questions and investigates them with instinct, heart and skillful rigour to create acclaimed dance works that move with images, words and music. The company has performed across Canada and on four continents in festivals, theatres, galleries and site-specific locations.
History
Denise Fujiwara’s first language is dance. She was a high performance athlete from childhood competing internationally for Canada in Rhythmic Gymnastics in the 70s, but it was the compulsion to use dance as a medium for communication that has compelled her throughout her interesting career.
A graduate in Dance from York University BFA (Honours), she was a co-founder of Toronto Independent Dance Enterprise (TIDE) and formed Fujiwara Dance Inventions to cultivate her burgeoning solo career in 1991. Each of her six solo dance concerts have toured extensively. In the mid-90’s, Fujiwara worked with Japanese Butoh master, Natsu Nakajima who created Sumida River for her, a solo that toured for 12 years, to four continents and inducted Fujiwara into a profoundly rich paradigm of dance that changed her life and artistry.
In the 2000’s Fujiwara developed a compulsion to investigate how to apply what she had learned about solo choreography into ensemble choreography. Over the decade she created works within FDI, No Exit, Conference of the Birds, EUNOIA, and Moving Parts, as well as large commissioned works for la Compania Nacional de Costa Rica, eX...it!'11, Schloss Broellin, Germany, and duets for BoucharDanse and SiNS Dance.
Many people have been influential in the company’s development . Behind the scenes since the mid- 90’s, Fujiwara was accompanied on this journey by Elizabeth Langley, a mentor and dramaturg of deep wisdom, Ron Snippe who created magic with light and managed all of the technical and production elements of the work with aplomb, and the music wizard, Phil Strong. The performers have also been a huge part of the artistic evolution of the work, each one a choreographer and artistic director in their own right. In 2005, Adina Herling began working with the company as General Manager resulting in an increase in performances, workshops, and touring opportunities.
Past Engagements
NOVEMBER 6, 2020
Premiere of Noppera-Bo as part of Older & Reckless: 20 Years of Age on Stage (online event)
OCTOBER 29, 2020
Toronto International Festival of Authors Choreo: Chats with Denise Fujiwara on EUNOIA
AUGUST 5 - 11, 2019
Performance of Moving Parts (excerpt) for Dusk Dances, Withrow Park, Toronto, Ontario
JUNE 1, 2019
Performance of EUNOIA at River Run Centre, Guelph, Ontario presented by Guelph Dance Festival
APRIL 4, 2019
Performance of EUNOIA at the Registry Theatre, Kitchener, Ontario
April 16, 2019
Performance of EUNOIA at Flato Markham Theatre, Markham Ontario
NOVEMBER 7 - 11, 2018
Teaching residency at the Grand Theatre, Kingston, Ontario
NOVEMBER 16 - 18, 2017
Performance of Moving Parts (excerpt) at Harbourfront Centre Theatre, Toronto, Ontario presented by DanceWorks
NOVEMBER 4 - 8, 2015
Performance of EUNOIA at Harbourfront Centre Theatre, Toronto, Ontario
OCTOBER 23, 2015
Performance of EUNOIA at Yukon Arts Centre, Whitehorse, Yukon
OCTOBER 16 - 17, 2015
Performance of EUNOIA at Theatre Junction Grand, Calgary, Alberta, presented by Fluid Festival
October 10, 2015
Performance of EUNOIA at LSPU Hall, St. John's, Newfoundland, presented by Neighbourhood Dance Works
October 1 - 3, 2015
Performance of EUNOIA at Sir James Dunn Theatre, Halifax, Nova Scotia, presented by Live Art Dance
MARCH 19 - 22, 2014
Premiere of EUNOIA at the Enwave Theatre in Toronto presented by Harbourfront Centre’s World Stage
APRIL 5 – 6, 2013
Performances of Lost and Found at the Market Hall Performing Arts presented by Public Energy in Peterborough
JANUARY 8 – 20, 2013
Tour of NO EXIT and Lost & Found to MacKenzie Art Gallery in Regina presented by New Dance Horizons, and to the Firehall Arts Centre in Vancouver
AUGUST 4 – 22, 2012
Choreographer , teacher and performer at eX…it! ’11 at Schloss Broellin, Germany
JULY 14 – 16, 2011
Premiere of Cuenta Las Estrellas en el Cielo at Teatro de la Danza in San José, Costa Rica
APRIL 23 – MAY 21, 2011 AND JUNE 25 – JULY 13, 2011
Commission of a new work, Cuenta Las Estrellas en el Cielo, for the Compañía Nacional de Danza in San José, Costa Rica
SEPTEMBER 24 – 25, 2010
NO EXIT presented at Ontario Dance Platform at the Winchester Street Theatre
MAY 26 – 31, 2010
Performances of Sumida River at the Frederic Wood Theatre, presented by City Opera Vancouver
APRIL 20 – MAY 9, 2010
Eastern Canada Tour of Lost & Found and NO EXIT to LSPU Hall in St. Johns presented by Neighbourhood Dance Works; Halifax presented by Live Art Dance; the Capitol Theatre in Moncton, New Brunswick; and the Osprey Arts Centre in Shelburne, Nova Scotia
MARCH 24, 2010
Premiere of Lost & Found at the Enwave Theatre in Toronto, presented by DanceWorks
JUNE 2009
Creation of Canticle for Rain as part of CanAsian Dance Festival’s Dance Film Workshop with David Hinton
OCTOBER 25, 2008
Performance of Komachi (excerpt) at the Enwave Theatre in Toronto presented by the Sooryu Festival
JULY 20 – 28, 2008
Performances of Sumida River and workshops taught at Mudanzas 4, Jornadas de Reflexion Y Critica Sobre La Danza, in San José, Costa Rica
JUNE 21 – 22, 2008
Performance of NO EXIT at the Festival of New Dance in St. John’s, Newfoundland
MAY 2 – 3, 2008
Performance of Sumida River at the Enwave Theatre in Toronto presented by the 2008 CanaAsian International Dance Festival
MARCH 7 – 14, 2008
Performance of Sumida River and workshops for the Festival of Dance and Anthropology, Krakow, Poland
NOVEMBER 11, 2007
Performance of Sumida River at the New York Butoh Festival in New York City
OCTOBER 9 – 18, 2007
Performances of Sumida River and workshops presented by the Festival Internacional de Teatro de Manizales in Manizales, Colombia; and an intenstive workshop for Los Danzantes in Bogotá, Colombia
JULY 2007
Performances of Conference of the Birds and Water presented by Dancing on the Edge Festival in Vancouver
JUNE 2006
Performances of Conference of the Birds at the Canada Dance Festival in Ottawa and in Peterborough, presented by Public Energy
MARCH 2006
Performances of Komachi presented by IV Festival Internacional de Mujeres en la Danza in Quito, Ecuador, and the Vancouver International Dance Festival
FEBRUARY 18, 2006
Performance of Sumida River at Market Hall in Peterborough presented by Public Energy