June 21, 2024

The Ellen Forman Memorial Fund of the Philadelphia Foundation and Drexel University announce choreographer Yuki Ishiguro as the 2024 Ellen Forman Memorial Fund Award winner. Ishiguro will receive a $2,500 cash award and will have his proposed piece, The Inner Light, performed by Drexel Dance Ensemble at their Winter performance in the Mandell Theater. The award honors Ellen Forman, who was a dancer, choreographer and educator for more than twenty years in the Philadelphia area.

As a performer, Ishiguro toured nationally and internationally, dancing with major companies and choreographers, such as IsadoraNOW, Emery LeCrone, Roxey Ballet, and Catapult Dance. He is the artistic director of Yu.S.Artistry, a professional, non-profit contemporary dance company based in Bucks County, PA, and his choreography has been presented at a variety of adjudicated festivals in the Tri-State Area. In addition to his work with Yu.S.Artistry, Ishiguro teaches at Institute of Dance Artistry and Impact Dance Complex.

The Inner Light is a piece inspired by the Japanese philosophical phrase, “Ichigo Ichie,” meaning, “one time, one meeting” or “treasure every encounter.” It emphasizes the importance of cherishing each moment and making the most of every opportunity. In this piece, dancers express the experience of the quotidian human experience: they meet, compete, assist, and inspire each other. The characters’ introspection will be represented by handheld LED props, an Ishiguro signature.

“I hope that the students of Drexel will enjoy and benefit from my choreographic style, which mixes floorwork, storytelling gestures, and contemporary flow, with LED light props—and I hope that the audience will be entertained and surprised by the effect. It is important to me to celebrate my native Japanese culture through my choreography and teaching,” notes Ishiguro on what the students of Drexel can expect from his piece.

Ishiguro received the award on May 30th during the intermission of Drexel Dance Ensemble’s Spring concert, “The Essence of One,’ which featured works by eight professional choreographers from across the region and New York City. Ishiguro’s latest creation for Yu.S.Artistry, “Dream of A…” will appear at the Performance Garage on June 28th and 29th as part of the “Two Worlds” programs.

To learn more about the upcoming show, visit: https://www.performancegarage.org/performances

To learn more about the Ellen Forman Memorial Award, visit: https://drexel.edu/westphal/academics/undergraduate/DANC/EllenFormanAward/