About

Izumi Ashizawa is a Japanese-born-raised-trained performance art practitioner and visual artist. Specialized in cross-cultural trans-media performance art, she reinterpret Japanese traditional codes and place them in a different context to give a new meaning. She utilizes physical story-telling and unconventional puppetry and object animation. Her past commissioned collaborative projects occurred in the U.S.A., Japan, the U.K., Canada, the First Nation in Quebec, Turkey, Iran, Norway, Austria, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Romania, Poland, Russia, Estonia, Australia, the Cayman Islands, Greece, Cyprus, Peru, and Greenland. The original performances by Izumi Ashizawa Performance were performed in various countries: The Blue Rocks (Sibiu International Theatre Festival in Romania, Fadjr International Theatre Festival in Iran, ManInFest in Romania, Arion Tokyo Summer Music Festival in Japan, International Arts and Ideas Festival and NYCInternational Fringe Festival in the U.S.A., Documentary and Excerpt of this show were broadcast in National Public Television of Japan BS "Today's World"), Bakeneko Kyosokyoku (Novo-Siberian Transit,Russia), Gilgamesh (Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, and USF, U.S.A., Excerpt from this show along with Ashizawa's interview was broadcast in PBS's TV series "Invitation to World Literature" Episode 1: Gilgamesh) Le Morte de La Fontaine (Woodford Folk Festival,Australia), Haoma and the Warrior (Iran), Zahak (International Women Theatre Festival, Iran), iKilL (Capital Fringe Festival, U.S.A.), Minotaur (Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, U.S.A., and IIFUT Festival, Iran), Dreams in the Arms of the Binding Lady (Danza Nueva, Peru, Municipal Theatre in Piura, Peru, Municipal Theatre in Trujillo, Peru, J.F.Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington DC, Capital Fringe Festival, Washington DC), The Kojiki (НАТФИЗ Theatre, Sofia, Bulgaria), Kwaidan (Spooky Action Theatre, Washington DC, Weber Fine Arts Center, NE), Mysterious Lake (Staller Center for the Arts, NY, Long Island Children’s Museum, NY, Japan Society, NYC). Le Sentir des Reve (Maison de la Theatre, Montreal, Canada), I Cried Because I Had No Shoes Until… (Physical Fest, Liverpool, the U.K.), The Little Goddess (Estonian National Drama Theatre, Estonia this show was selected by the Embassy of Japan as a Japanese cultural representative to be presented at the Estonian National 100th Anniversary ceremony in Estonia, Greenland National Theatre), Bacchae (Cyprus International Ancient Greek Drama Festival, Nicosia, Curium, Pafos, Cyprus), Illernartunnguaq (National Theatre of Greenland and the Greenland tour), Kurogo Me version 1.0 (Art+Tech: An Asian American Experience exhibition, Brooklyn, NY), and Kurogo Me version 1.1 (Staller Center for the Arts, NY).

Izumi Ashizawa won numerous awards including the Medal of Honor for Cultural Excellence from the City of Piura in Peru, the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Faculty Achievement Award Excellence in Directing and Technology, Capital Fringe Director’s Award, UNESCO-Aschberg Award, IIFUT Best Performance Award, Tehran Municipality Culture and Arts Organization Award, Australian Government Fund for the Arts, and Norwegian Cultural Fund.

Izumi Ashizawa serves as a faculty at the State University of New York Stony Brook. She is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama.