Victor Choi-wo Ma　Artistic Director of Y-Space　　- Isa -
Founder of Y-Space in 1995 and its Artistic Director, Ma was in the first graduating class of the School of Dance at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA). Upon graduation, he joined the Hong Kong Ballet, and resumed study at the HKAPA as a drama student. In 1996, he received the Asian Cultural Council Lee Hysan Foundation Fellowship to conduct research on dance and theatre in the USA. In 2002, he further received the Hong Kong Arts Development Council – University of Leeds- Chevening Scholarship, for a Master’s degree programme in Performance Studies in the UK. As a choreographer with over 60 creations, he has also been a movement director for many local and international companies. His major works include None of Your Business, Not a Double Room, Unconscious I & II, Dance “In” Possible Series I-IV, Improvisation Land Series 1-40, Air and Breath I & II, Body, I.D., Space I – V, Victor Ma's Dance Exhibition 1 & 2, and RE/evolution etc. He also took part in the creation and performance of My Life as a Dancer – the Evolution for the Hong Kong Arts Festival. He has also been the curator and coordinator of i-Dance Festival (Hong Kong) since 2009. In 2001, he was nominated for a Golden Horse Best Supporting Actor Award for his performance in the film The Map of Sex and Love.

Mandy Ming-yin Yim 　Outreach & Education Director　- Isa -
One of the Y-Space founders, Yim was a graduate of the School of Dance at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. After graduating, she joined the Hong Kong Ballet and the City Contemporary Dance Company as a full-time dancer and played major roles in various productions. She was a recipient of the Asian Cultural Council Lee Hysan Foundation Fellowship in 1996 for further study in the USA. In 2000 she created the site-specific work Chop Suey on invitation from the Harare International Festival of the Arts in Zimbabwe, and was invited to participate in the Norweigan Arts Festival and became artist in residence in Bergen, Norway. In 2007, she was involved in the My Life as a Dancer – the Evolution for the Hong Kong Arts Festival. Mandy’s experience in teaching, performance and works creation has spanned four continents, with involvement in Harare International Festival of the Arts in Zimbabwe, Oktober Dance Norway, Dresden Tanzwoche Festvial in Germany, Korean Fringe Festival, Melbourne Fringe Festival, Dashanzi International Arts Festival in Beijing, International Contemporary Dance Conference and Performance Festival in Poland, Shenzhen OCAT Festival and i-Dance (Taipei) etc. She has been the producer and performer in i-Dance (Hong Kong) since 2009. Yim is currently the Outreach and Education Director of Y-Space.

BongHo Kim　- Isa -
BongHo is a co-founder of the Et Aussi Dance Company (since 2007) together with Celine Bacque.
He is active both locally and internationally, creating works, especially, group-based pieces, in Europe, South America and Asia. He is particularly interested in contributing in education for dance, specifically improvisation and expanding networks in Asia.
He is the chief-organizer of the Asian Improvisation Artist Exchange, a biennial held in Seoul, Korea. It was first convened in 2008 as a sort of festival with Japan, Taiwan and Korea being the principal axis. Then it grew and broadened with many artists from different countries participating. The exchange itself became much more detailed and settled down itself as a laboratory research where the dancers not only perform together but also discuss and share their thoughts.
BongHo first entered into theatre in 1994 but then switched the direction to dance and began learning properly from 1997. After graduating from the university, heworked in various dance companies and improved greatly.
His major works are such as “SaeYaSaeYa” “Socrates, in love”
“Dust” “Memory” “Transition” “Fragment”

CELINE BACQUE　- Isa -　(France/Korea) graduated from the National Superior Conservatory of Paris as a contemporary dancer and from the National Center of Dance as a teacher. She was awarded a grant by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2000 to pursue research in release and somatic techniques, and thereafter started to develop her own artistic research.

Celine has performed improvised solos connected to ancient shamanic practices as well as in collaborative projects with musicians, actors, and video artists. She was invited to perform at festivals such as the I Trotra Contemporary Dance Festival, Contact Improvisation Festival Japan, i-Dance Taipei and i-Dance Hong Kong. She has also facilitated dance improvisation and contact improvisation workshops in Asia, South America, and Europe to dancers, non-dancers, children, and physical challenged persons.

Celine co-directs Et Aussi Dance Company (Seoul) and co-organizes the i-Dance Asia Improvisation Art Exchange. She does not dissociate art from life, traveling wherever her energy brings her to. Always redefining the boundaries of knowledge, she understands the body as an open universal book.

Ming-Shen Ku　- Isa -
A known dance teacher, choreographer and dancer, Ming-Shen Ku set her base in Taiwan since 1987. Ms. Ku’s works are influenced by many Western and Eastern dance styles, a merging development from her diverse backgrounds.
Since 1991, Ms. Ku became deeply involved in Contact Improvisation and introduced it to Taiwan. Since then, Ms. Ku has developed her own movement emphasis in teaching modern dance and improvisation.
As an active choreographer, Ms. Ku has collaborated with many dance companies and events in Taiwan, Hong Kong as well as US. Her solo performance has also been invited to tour to the US, Landon, Paris, Australia, Tokyo, and Hong Kong.
She founded her dance company “Ku & Dancers” in 1993 to present new works and promotes the concept of improvisation. “Ku & Dancers” has set their foot print in New York, Australia, Paris, London, China, Korea and Indonesia. As the only professional dance company that has devoted itself in improvisation works, “Ku & Dancers” has presented structured improvisation projects in the past 20 years. Since 2000, the company organized and produced Taiwan Dance Umbrella to provide opportunities for young and innovated choreographers to present their on stage. Ku and Dancers found “i-dance Taipei”, a biannual improvisation dance festival, as part of the “i-dance” network since 2011.
Ms. Ku has also been invited as a guest artist to perform and to teach in many universities and dance companies around the world. Currently, Ming-Shen Ku serves as the dean of Dance School in Taipei National University of the Arts.

Mei Li (Taiwan)　- Isa -
Mei Li is a Taiwan-born independent dance artist and is a graduate of the London Contemporary Dance School. She worked with Kirstie Simson in the filming of International Documentary of Dance Improvisation and Dance Cambodia, and has been invited to perform in numerous festivals such as Colorado Dance Festival, Hong Kong E-Side Arts Festival,Contact Festival Kuala Lumpur, Contact Improvisation Festival Japan and Asian Improvisation Art Exchange, Festival International de Danse Contemporaine’ in Madagascar. She has also been invited to various artist residency programs, such as International Dance Day (India), Cité Internationale des Arts (Paris) Kio-A-Thau Artist-in-Residence (Taiwan), and Taipei Public Arts Festival.
An active practitioner and performer of improvisation, member of Ku & Dancers since 1999. As a dance educator in Taiwan, she has organized workshops for Taiwan’s various communities and populations, from the physically challenged to opera singers to musicians. She has worked with the National Theater and Concert Hall’s in Taiwan giving public lectures and currently teaches at National Taiwan University of Arts and at Dance Forum Taipei Dance Company, and Creative Director at “Perennial Tree Programmes.”

Ru-Hong Lin　- Isa -
A dancer, a dance arts administrator, and a psychotherapist.
Ru-Hong Lin recieved her MA in Transpersonal Psychology from John F. Kennedy University, USA. Lin is currently a free-lance artist for performing art. In 2013 She performed in ＜between＞ for ‘i-Lab 2013’ in Taiwan. In 2012 and 2010 Lin participated in an improvisation dance performance for ‘Asian Improvisation Art Exchange’ in South Korea. In 2011 She performed in ＜How Can a small Field…＞ for ‘i’Trôtra – 8ème Festival International de Danse Contemporaine’ in Madagascar, and in ＜R+K＞ in ‘Open-air Banquet’ event of ‘i·Dance Taipei 2011’ in Taiwan.
Lin has been a free-lance administrator from 2007 and participated in various programs, including ‘Mullae Art Festival’ in South Korea, ‘International documentary of dance improvisation’ in Greece, ‘E-Side Festival’ in Hong Kong, Kirstie Simson’s ‘Dance Cambodia’ project, ‘Summer Dance Festivl’ in Taipei Artis Village in Taiwan, and the Contact Improvisation Festival Japan (CIFJ) in Japan.

Michael Schumacher　- Kirishima -　
is a leading figure in the discipline of improvisation. His excellent movement quality is paired with an artful sensitiveness and imaginative spirit. He uses his mastery to enter into a dialogue with his immediate surrounding - including stage set, other performers and audience. The environment is an inexhaustible source of inspiration for his improvisation artwork.
At many occasions Schumacher has used his exceptional dance skills to jointly perform with outstanding musicians. Schumacher’s work has been presented at theaters and festivals, among others at La Biennale de la Danse in Lyon, at the STEPS Festival in Switzerland (2006 and 2010) and for numerous occasions at the Holland Dance Festival in Den Haag. He is at high demand for conducting workshops in movement analysis and improvisation techniques worldwide.
Michael Schumacher began dancing in musical theatre productions in his hometown of Lewiston, Idaho. After moving to New York, he received a B.F.A. in Dance from the Juilliard School. Since1996 Michael Schumacher resides in Amsterdam.

Rico　- Isa -/ - Kirishima -
I’m a piano player, composer, arranger, and singer.
I started at the age of 4, studying classic piano throughout, graduating from University in Tokyo, Japan and released CD in 1998 as a member of yu-ra from Sony and in 2000 from bella union.I have gone on to create 4 additional CDs under this label, also composing and arranging 2 self-produced albums. I have been playing improvisation performance with Chico and Shoko from 2007.

Omar Benassila　- Kirishima -
(Sbitar),born in Casablanca, Morocco. Raised listening to the multicultural moroccan music . Inspired by the deep roots of african music and the spirituality of sufi music. Started shaping his musical skills through improvisation with multiple talented musicians since young age. When he was 20, he left Morocco in thirst for wider range of musical ethnicities, learned how to play different kinds of instruments in south Asia and India. After settling in Seoul south Korea he became a member of Surisuri Mahasuri band, played sessions with different major bands ranging from classical and jazz to rock music, also worked in multiple improvisation art projects where he could express his interpretation of Music.
Omar is a multi-instrument player, his range goes from acoustics to electronics.
With a concept of "no boundaries in Art" in his mind and a tendency for improvisation.

Miura1go （Kyoto）-Isa-
He is a musician and composer, using bomboo saxophone and original small instruments. He has joined units and events of flamenco, Bossa Nova, ethnic sound scape. He also dose solo jam band " tribal Beat Box".
http://miura1.net/

Chico Katsube 　Organizer
is a dance improviser, choreographer and a teacher from Osaka, Japan. She received her B.Ed. and M.A. degrees at the Dance Education Division of Ochanomizu University in Tokyo, where she studied Modern Dance and Choreography. From 1990 to 94, she studied and danced in New York City as a company member with many talented choreographers such as Joy Kellman and Ruby Shang. She has also developed her own style of choreography and performance.She has begun Contact Improvisation activity in Japan with the strong influence and the recommendation of Nancy Stark Smith who visited Japan and taught her workshops in 1997 at the program of “Triangle Project”.In 2000, she founded C.I.co., a Contact Improvisation Company, with Makiko Ito. Since then she has been a leading figure in teaching, organizing and performing Contact Improvisation in Tokyo and throughout Japan.In 2005, 2007 and 2012, she participated and taught intensive workshops in Contact Festival in Israel. In the summer of 2006, she taught a workshop in the Magpie Collective Workshop and performed with the Magpie Music and Dance in Amsterdam. And in 2011, she participated Contact Festival Kuala Lumpur, i- dance Taipei, where she taught and performed with Shoko Kashima. And she has been a seed member of AIAE in South Korea from 2008.From 2008, she founded the CIFJ (Contact Improvisation Festival Japan) and continues to organize and create the international CI festival to exchange culture, people, essence of CI in Tokyo and some regions in Japan. Now she is studying and investigating together improvisation dance with Shoko Kashima, who is a dancer as well as a photographer, to search and mix the Asian Culture in their dance improvisation. In 2010, Chico and Shoko participated in ECITE in Finland and AIAE (Asian Improvisation Art Exchange) in Korea to research for the next improvisation project in Japan and Asia. She was a faculty of some universities in Tokyo for more than 10 years such as, Ochanomizu University, Keio University, Rikkyo University, Nihon Women’s college of physical Education where she teaches dance or CI regularly.In 2012, she moved her base of the dance activity (C.I.co.) from Tokyo to Kagoshima with Shoko Kashima. They started the activity with the focus on exploring and integrating Asian culture into improvisation, as well as to establish the art community in the countryside in Kagoshima prefecture. In 2013, she will organize the first “i-Dance Japan”, Contact Improvisation Festival in Isa-city.

Shoko Kashima　Organizer
is a dancer, improviser, photographer and teacher Tokyo. She received her Master of Arts in Dance Education from Ochanomizu University in Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo and founded the dance company ZINZOLIN in 1996. In 2000 she created the partnership “Duo unit” with Ryoko Sugimoto, while also being awarded a one year scholarship from the Japanese Government Overseas Study Program for Artists to study dance in New York. Their works were selected for performance by Joyce SOHO Presents, DUMBO Festival, The Brooklyn Museum of Art and The Cool NY 2004 Dance Festival in NY. As a dancer, she danced for Chico Katsube, collaborated with Michael Schumacher, Chico Katsube, Katie Dack, Dance Theater Ludens, Ray Chung, Natanja den Boeft and other many artists. After returning to Japan, Shoko began working with Chico Katsube as a member - and now co-director - of Contact Improvisation Group C.I.co.. In 2006, She founded the CIFJ (Contact Improvisation Festival Japan) with Chico and continues to organize and create the international CI festival to exchange culture, people, essence of CI in Tokyo and some regions in Japan. She has been teaching CI at kindergartens, elementary schools, universities, public theaters and museums. She is a seed member of Asian Improvisation Art Exchange (Seoul, Korea), creating networks and researching improvisation among artists in Asia. She is fabulously known as a photographer, and has a good feel for taking dance pictures. In 2012, she moved from Tokyo to Kagoshima with Chico Katsube, and started activities of cultivate arts community in sparsely populated area. She is organizing “i-Dance Japan” which is Contact Improvisation Festival in Kagoshima in 2013.
http://www.ci-jp.com