(Michael Sakamoto and Waewdao Sirisook; photo by Cedar-Bough Saeji)
"A dramatic tour de force." - Lewis Segal, Los Angeles Times
"An act of heroic transformation." - Allan Ullrich, The Voice of Dance
Shades of Pina Bausch crossed with Woody Allen." - Donna Perlmutter, Los Angeles Times
"Compelling...Sakamoto the choreographer approaches the unsparing power of perhaps the most pitiless Rite (of Spring) thus far created." - Lewis Segal, Los Angeles Times
"Sets up a dialectic between the high gloss commercial art world and unmediated, authentic human expression and interaction." - Flash Art International
CURRENT:
"Anatta"
New collaborative dance and music works with Waewdao Sirisook, Amy Knoles, and Bob Bellerue based on Buddhist concepts. Premiere engagements at Highways Performance Space, September 26-27 and Conduit Dance Inc., October 11-12, 2008. Available for touring and presentation...
"The Empty Room: Spirit of the New World"
New performance installation, also featuring Waewdao Sirisook, Krenly Guzman, and D. Sabela Grimes premiered at the UCLA Fowler Museum. Available for touring and presentation...
Michael has been awarded research and production grants from the Asian Cultural Council, University of California Institute for Research in the Arts, and the Pacific Rim Research Program.
New! Photographs from Michael's summer research in Thailand. Click here...