ISHIDA Contemporary Dance Company Offers World Premieres at Asia Society

ISHIDA Dance Company, nationally recognized in Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch,” presents Inside My Walls June 12–15 in collaboration with the Asia Society Texas Center.

Choreography for this repertoire will include works by the company’s Founding Artistic Director Brett Ishida and guest choreographers Andonis Foniadakis and Stephen Shropshire. The central work, Inside My Walls, is a world premier by Ishida, which she describes as “a poetic narrative inspired by internationally acclaimed Japanese author Haruki Murakami. Through the use of magical realism, the work follows an introvert whose life is dictated by routine—a person who hoards piles of newspapers around the perimeter of his apartment, something he believes protects him from harm. He unexpectedly encounters a mysterious visitor who has been living inside the  apartment’s walls—someone with whom he discovers unexpected companionship and solace.”  

ISHIDA Dance Company was founded in 2019. Its mission is to transform everyday existence through meaning-filled, thought-provoking, high-caliber contemporary dance. “Many of us are familiar with traditional ballet,” Ishida says, “…that which presents beautiful dancers, doing very traditional movements with well-known story lines. In contrast, contemporary dancers often move in interesting, but sometimes abstract ways. With ISHIDA we are using the ‘vocabulary’ of both of these worlds. Our work shows off the technique, lines, and beauty that you see in professional-level traditional ballet, but with more contemporary, and often more dramatic, movement. Our narratives address universal existential themes such as love, loss, belonging, regret, and community. As a result, in addition to ISHIDA being beautiful and having interesting contemporary movement, it is also relatable to a modern audience.”   

Japanese American Brett Ishida grew up on a citrus farm in California’s Central Valley. Her love for dance inspired her to move away from home at age 15 when she received a full scholarship to Kirov Academy, and later to the School of The American Ballet Theatre in New York City. She danced with Boston Ballet and Oregon Ballet Theatre, where she first choreographed. She later graduated from UCLA, earning a BA in Literature with emphasis in Poetry. Combining the worlds of literature and dance enabled her to develop a new voice in contemporary choreography. With that inspiration she created her own company, ISHIDA, and began captivating audiences throughout Texas.

From its onset, ISHIDA’s choreography has received critical acclaim. Broadway World described her work as “stunning and compelling . . . an incredible boon to the Houston art scene.” The Washington Post’s Pulitzer prize-winning dance critic, Sarah L. Kaufman, described ISHIDA’s piece, Home-coming as one that “tackled a deeply poignant, poetic theme.”

ISHIDA’s work has received national and international accolades, presented at the Kennedy Center’s 10,000 Dreams Festival, featuring works by Asian choreographers from around the world. Ballet Herald reviewed ISHIDA’s work, writing “[It was] the most memorable and effective piece in the program.” In December 2024, ISHIDA debuted her first commission for the Houston Ballet, which reviewers described as “unforgettable” and “a masterclass in storytelling through movement.”

The Asia Society program also includes a world premiere by guest artist Stephen Shropshire, who has received numerous European awards and honors for his choreography and was the former Artistic Director of Noord Nederlandse Dans. Shropshire is a curator and dance researcher who has created new works for companies such as Ballet BC, Scapino Ballet Rotterdam, Danish Dance Theatre, New Zealand Dance Company, and Hong Kong Ballet. He is  a graduate of the Juilliard School and holds an MA from the University of Maastricht.

Greek choreographer Andonis Foniadakis returns to ISHIDA with his ethereal piece, Horizons. Foniadakis’ work is also well known in the European dance community where, for two decades, the region’s most prestigious companies have premiered his creations. He began his career as a professional dancer with the Ballet de l’Opéra de Lyon and then founded his company, Apotosoma, in 2003. He has choreographed for The  Béjart Ballet Lausanne, Ballet Theater Basel, Sydney Dance Company, the National Dance Company of Wales, Manheim National Theatre, and Les Ballets Jazz Montreal. From 2016 to 2018 he was the director of the Greek National Opera Ballet and has created choreography for stage, opera and film projects.

 What differentiates ISHIDA Dance company from its peers is that it presents original poetic narratives as well as works by new and internationally established choreographers. The company collaborates with some of the most sought-after dancers from Houston Ballet, English National Ballet,  Nederlands Dans Theater, and  Ballets Jazz Montréal. The Houston-based company specializes in presenting engaging works that are new to Texas audiences. Several—world premieres—are unique pieces that founder Ishida says, “Invite audiences to experience empathy and introspection, with the intent of creating greater kindness, both towards oneself and the community.”

This specific, outward focus spotlights ISHIDA as one of the most exciting performing arts companies in Houston, locally and nationally. The evening promises to be a unique opportunity to see some innovative and interesting European and American choreography.

What:  World Premiere of Inside My Walls
When: June 12-15, 2025 | Thursday – Saturday at 8 pm; Sunday at 3 pm
Where: Asia Society Texas Center | 1370 Southmore Blvd, Houston TX 77004
Info: IshidaDance.org

Tickets: $30-$90/VIP $120
VIP tickets include premium seating with access to a post-performance reception to meet the dancers and choreographers.