Key+ Dance Showcase 2026
Date and time: September 5th (Sat) & 6th (Sun), 2026
Doors open 19:00 Performance starts 19:30
Location: Studio H (Ebisu, Tokyo)
2-17-22 Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0013
This showcase, held in Tokyo, will feature artists from Japan, the UK, and around the world.
Dance artists come together to perform contemporary dance works, including new pieces. In each performance, 13 artists, ranging from up-and-coming talents to seasoned veterans, will present five works. The works of these unique artists, each with their own diverse background, expression, and style, will resonate with one another.
Organized by Key+ Dance
Grant provided by the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation
Cooperation: BalletBoyz
Art Philosophy (General Incorporated Association)
Studio H
Design by Sayaka Dew
Photo by Jack Thomson
Artist Introductions | Artists
*The following is listed in alphabetical order.
Reina Inomata Gray
Maika Ueda
Dancer, choreographer, and instructor. She began modern dance at age 4 and classical ballet at age 6. In 2012, she graduated from the Mannheim University of Music and Performing Arts in Germany with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance. During her studies, a solo piece she created as a school assignment was well-received, and she realized that her expression could move people's hearts, which deepened her interest in choreography.
After returning to Japan, she expanded her activities into contemporary dance, studying under Kazuyuki Futami. She has appeared in works by Kazuyuki Futami, Alessio Silvestrin, Yoko Ando, Naoya Aoki, Masahiro Yanagimoto, Eriko Maenou, and Ryu Suzuki, among others. In addition to dance works, she has also participated as a dancer in stage arts productions such as the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Opening Ceremony (2021), the New National Theatre Opera's "William Tell" (2024), and "Natasha" (2025). She also has experience working in Europe with companies such as Opus Ballet (Italy) and Inversedance Company (Hungary).
At Kagurazaka Session House events, she presented "A Body Laid on the Earth" (21Fes/2016), "Endless Fall" (Dance Hana/2019), and "Quiet Discomfort - Loss of the Original Voice" (Akaikutsu/2026). She continues to create, developing each work as it progresses. She frequently collaborates with musicians such as pianists, violinists, and percussionists, and through repeated dialogue with music and themes, she develops a single idea into different bodies and compositions, nurturing her works.
Currently, I create works that reconnect history, everyday life, and human relationships, using music and the body as a foundation, and that allow people to rediscover forgotten values and feelings that have yet to be put into words.
Photo: Toshiki Tachibana
Maya Onoda
A visual artist based in Tokyo. She studied fine art at California State University and earned an MFA from the Pratt Institute (New York). In 2006, she received the Joan Mitchell Foundation Grant. Since moving to Tokyo in 2012, she has exhibited her work both domestically and internationally, including at the Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art (2013), Osumi Art Live (2017), and Kirishima Open-Air Museum (2021).
Starting from time, space, color, form, and encounters with people, the artist develops their work across installations, drawings, and live collaborations. Through their work, they create spaces where new relationships and perspectives emerge. In recent years, they have actively collaborated with contact improvisation dancers and musicians, working on practices where drawing, physical expression, and sound intersect improvisationally .
Shiki Kitamura
After graduating from the Rambert School in the UK, Kaori Seki performed in domestic and international productions for over 10 years with "Kaori Seki Punctumun," and her own practice also begins with the training of perception, texture, and sensation. She is interested in the fluctuations of existence that precede emotions and narratives, leaving a quiet sense of curiosity in the viewer.
Photo: Aiho Kaneko
Seungwook Kim
Kim Seung-wook is a contemporary dancer and choreographer from South Korea. He majored in dance at Hanyang University and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance. He currently creates works primarily in the fields of performance and choreography.
In 2026, her choreographed and performed piece "Laundry (세탁소)" was selected for the Seoul Connection Stage, and she won the bronze medal at the 7th National Choreography Draft Competition with "Before We Touch (닿기전까지)". In the same year, she won the gold medal at the 54th Dong-A Dance Competition, and in 2025, she won the bronze medal (3rd place) at the Korea International Contemporary Dance Competition. She also appeared on Mnet's dance survival program "Stage Fighter".
Hyemi Kim
A contemporary dance choreographer, dancer, and dance educator based in South Korea. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance from Hanyang University ERICA and a Master of Arts degree in Performing Arts from the same university. She is currently enrolled in the doctoral program at the same university. She is also a member of the Rising Tide Dance Theater, where she continues to create original works themed on contemporary society. In 2019, she won the gold medal in the senior women's division of the Korea International Contemporary Dance Competition.
In her choreographic works, she focuses on often overlooked moments in everyday life, exploring the tensions, contradictions, and delicate balances hidden within seemingly insignificant actions and human relationships through movement. Rather than relying on dramatic narratives, she depicts how repeated choices and familiar behaviors reflect the invisible structures of modern society, and through shared experiences mediated by the body, she offers the audience an opportunity to re-examine their own perspectives.
Yu Suzuki
After working at Arts Umbrella in Canada, she was affiliated with Noism2 until 2019. She is currently based in Tokyo and works as a freelance artist.
She has performed in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Opening Ceremony and other works by various choreographers such as Hiroaki Umeda, Saori Hara, Shintaro Hirahara, and Naoya Homan, both domestically and internationally. As a solo choreographer, she received the Jury Prize at the SAI DANCE FESTIVAL 2025. She has also worked as an advertising model and choreographer for companies such as "AHRES" and "Pacific Consultants Co., Ltd."
Photo: Okada Yasuhiro
ta!sei?¿ ｜Taisei Nakamoto
Starting with Poppin' at the age of 11, she has experience in various street dance genres. In her third year of high school, she encountered contemporary dance and studied physical expression and creation at the Department of Performing Arts, Faculty of Arts and Letters, Kinki University. Currently, she explores expressions that transcend the physicality and culture of both contemporary dance and street dance. She considers improvisation an important element of her creations, and her works are themed around memories and sensations residing in the body, and the relationship between people and society.
His major awards and performances include second place in the RIZE division of Mynavi DANCE ALIVE 2024 FINAL, performance at the opening ceremony of Osaka-Kansai Expo 2025, first place in the All Japan University Street Dance Championship, and playing the role of Chainsaw Man in the Chainsaw Man The Stage Reze arc. In addition to presenting choreographic works such as "Artificial" and "Memory I," he pursues physical expression that connects contemporary art and street culture through appearances in various stage and event performances and creative activities.
Ciel Tsuji
She began ballet at the age of six. In 2009, she entered Matsuyama Ballet School, and in 2011, she transferred to Ariake New City Ballet School, where she studied under Mikio Ikehata. In 2012, she won third place at the "Chausson d'Or" ballet competition held in Paris. In 2013, she studied abroad briefly at the Paris Opera Ballet School. From 2015, she studied at PNSD Rosella Hightower in Cannes, France, where she danced works by choreographers such as Jiří Bubeníček, Davide Bombana, Jean Sébastien Colau, Christophe Garcia, Jean-Christophe Maillot, and Carolyn Carlson under the guidance of each choreographer. She also took master classes in contemporary dance by Kenta Kojiri and circus by Sylvie Guillermin. In 2019, she choreographed "Duo" and "Ange," in 2020 "Rêve," and in 2022 "La solitude." In 2021, she performed with the Cannes Jeune Ballet, graduating in July 2022. She is currently based in Japan and works as a freelance dancer.
Maya Nishizawa
From 2015 to 2021, I was a member of Noism2 and then Noism1. During that time, I appeared in works by Jo Kanamori, Yuki Mori, Yuki Yamada, Shintaro Hirahara, Yasutake Shimaji, and Yoshimitsu Kushida.
After leaving the company, she moved to Tokyo and has worked as a freelance dancer, appearing in various productions including works by Yoko Ando and musicals. Since 2025, she has been a part-time lecturer at the College of Art, Nihon University.
Paris Fitzpatrick
In 2015, she graduated from Tring Park School for the Performing Arts. After graduation, she toured with the Northern Ballet for a year.
He participated and joined New Adventures in 2017. Since then, he has starred in numerous productions in the UK and on international tours.
He made his debut as Romeo in Matthew Bourne's "Romeo + Juliet."
In 2025, Sadlers Wells' production of "Quadrophenia: A Mod Ballet" will have its UK premiere and New York premiere.
He made his debut as Jimmy in the play. Then, in early 2026, he appeared in Russell Maliphant's "Vortex".
In 2022, he participated in BalletBoyz's "Deluxe" UK tour, and this summer he will be performing in their 25th anniversary concert "Still
He also appeared in the "Pointless: BalletBoyz at 25" tour.
Her work spans a wide range of fields, including commercials, movies, and television, and in 2020 she received the South Bank Sky Arts Awards.
Nominated for The Times Breakthrough Award. Furthermore, nominated multiple times for the National Dance Awards.
They were selected and won the Outstanding Male Modern Performance award in 2024 and 2026.
Billy Maxwell Taylor
Billy Taylor is an interdisciplinary dance artist who creates works based on his philosophy of "ambient dance." Through works that draw inspiration from everyday bodily movements such as brewing coffee, walking in a park, and tending to a garden, in addition to contact, dance improvisation, and Butoh, he aims to create a space for contemplation in a modern society full of burnout and excessive stimulation.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in European Theatre Arts from Rose Bruford College and a Master of Arts degree in Expanded Dance Practice from London Contemporary Dance School. Furthermore, she studied and conducted research under Tom Weksler, Marie-Gabrielle Rotie, CiCo, Eden's Cave Company, and Daiji Meguro.
As a choreographer, she has received support from The Place, National Dance Company Wales, Richard Chappell Dance, Swindon Dance, and others, and has planned and created theatrical works and performances that tour Wales and throughout the UK.
Kai Tomioka
Kai Tomioka is a dancer, choreographer, and instructor based in Japan and the UK.
Currently, he is a member of BalletBoyz, led by Michael Nunn and William Trevitt, and also participates as a guest artist in the Scottish Dance Theatre, directed by Joan Créville.
In Japan, he was a member of Noism1, led by Jo Kanamori, for three seasons.
To date, she has collaborated with and performed in numerous choreographers, including Akram Khan, Hannes Langulf, Russell Maliphant, Sofia Nappi, Emmanuel Gatto, Anton Luckey, Roselle Lopez Espinosa, Maxine Doyle, and Christopher Bruce.
In recent years, he has also focused on his own choreography, presenting his works mainly in Japan and the UK. He served as associate choreographer for the stage production "Quadrophenia" by Sadler's Wells and Universal Music, collaborating with the late Paul Roberts.
Currently, they are working on "Shokunin I," a collaborative project with dance artist Aya Misaki, which is being performed in Tokyo and the Kansai region. They are also planning to perform it at Nederlandse Dansdagen in the Netherlands in October 2026.
Aiming to be a bridge connecting the contemporary dance scenes of Japan and the UK, she is engaged in international collaborations. As an instructor, she conducts workshops and classes mainly in Japan and the UK, sharing her perspective and approach with a wide range of artists and students.