About Strange Kinoko Dance Company
Strange Kinoko Dance Company has been pursuing "research on dance" in many different perspectives as well as establishing its originality. Strange Kinoko Dance Company has been performed at theater, museum patio, gallery space, cafe, office, warehouse or even at the entrance hall of office building. Sharing various types of site with audience, Strange Kinoko Dance Company seeks various physicality joyfully. Strange Kinoko Dance company performs one or two new evening shows every year as well as they tour domestically and internationally. Strange Kinoko Dance Company offers workshops for children, actors and non-dancers. Its work can be seen as dancers or movement director for other performers' projects such as theatre, concerts, and film. Most notable work "Frill (mini)", which was performed in Tokyo, Paris, NY, Bangkok, and New Delhi. And also"FLOWER PICKING"was performed in several city in Japan and Stockholm. In Stockholm, as a remarkable fact, they had 7000 audience in 2 days. The latest work by the company "not quite right" was produced for the project "Australia - Japan dance Exchange 2006" (Granted by Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japan Foundation ) which is the collaboration work with Australian artist Justin Caleo, developed and shown as a 'work in progress' in Melbourne, and performed in 3 city in Japan in 2006-2007.

photo:Yohta Kataoka

Collage:Keiji Ito

Artistic    Director Chie Ito 

Choreographer, Director, Dancer, Artistic Director of
Strange Kinoko Dance Company

Born in Tokyo, 1970. At the age of 4, she started modern dance. When she was 15 years old, she started classical ballet. First 10 minute choreography performed at the age of 18. To pursue choreography, she studied dance at Nihon University. In 1990, She founded Strange Kinoko Dance Company with her college classmates. She has been actively involved as a choreographer and a director for all the pieces the Kinoko performed.Beside the theater performances of Strange Kinoko Dance Company, she has contributed her work as a collaborator with various artists. Her choreography has been seen in theatre, music videos, and films. In 2000, she won the Yokohama culture Foundation Award for her choreography, "Because you said it would be exposed" (duo piece).She participated in the Philippe Decoufle premiere work "IRIS" as an assistant of Mr. Decoufle in October, 2003. In 2003, she also took charge of dance for educational TV program "Do Re Mi TV" for elementary students. In 2006, her solo performance "I will dive in." was performed in Tokyo.