SU-EN is a multi-award winning choreographer and butoh dance artist. She is a pioneer and foreground figure for butoh art in Sweden. SU-EN Butoh Company was founded in 1992 in Tokyo. After studies with the legendary butoh artist Yoko Ashikawa and apprenticeship with the Tomoe Shizune & Hakutobo group, SU-EN has established the butoh art in Sweden and further developed its own distinctive butoh method. SU-EN has also studied the Japanese traditional dance form Jiuta-mai for many years with Yoh Izumo in Tokyo. In 1995, she received her nattori license from Izumo-sensei. Since 1997, the artistic activities is based at Haglund School in Almunge northeast of Uppsala. SU-EN Butoh Company operates in Sweden and internationally with performances, workshops, film production, projects and lectures. SU-EN Butoh Company has produced a number of short films and dance art films in collaboration with filmmakers and video artists such as Gunilla Leander, Rickard Sporrong and Hiroko Tsuchimoto which have been shown at film festivals and art exhibitions around the world.
Between 2006-2014, SU-EN has been the curator of Friktioner – international performance art festival, which was co-arranged with Uppsala Art Museum. Between 2013 and 2020, SU-EN was also curator of K.R.O.P.P, a platform for contemporary dance that is co- arranged with Uppsala Konsert & Kongress.
In 2011, SU-EN received the Uchimura Prize from Japan and the Culture Prize from the feminist art magazine CORA.
SU-EN has together with Rickard Sporrong created the films Slice (2003), Chicken Instruction Video (2004), Chicken Life (2004) and Scrap Life (2005). In connection with SU-EN Butoh Company’s 20th anniversary, SU-EN created the exhibition Visceral Space at Uppsala Art Museum. In 2003 the book Butoh – the body and the world was published and in 2012 a catalogue was published in connection with the 20th anniversary. In 2012, she received the Uppsala Municipality’s honorary medal. In 2019 she was appointed the Artist of Honour in Uppsala Municipality. Currently SU-EN is given the 10 year work grant from The Swedish Arts Grants Committee.
www.suenbutohcompany.net
www.friktionerfriction.wordpress.com