KIDC 2026 Judges

In order to ensure that the competition is impartial and transparent, KIDC changes its judges every year. This also provides the added benefit of allowing participants to be judged from a new perspective each year.

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  Michael Shannon

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  Shannon was trained on full scholarship at the School of American Ballet, the National Ballet School of Canada, and the Hungarian State Ballet Academy. Discovered by the Bolshoi at 16, he was the “First American Graduate of the Bolshoi Ballet Academy.”
  
  Shannon was a Principal Dancer for the Bolshoi Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Vienna State Opera Ballet, Stars of the Bolshoi Ballet, Hungarian State Opera Ballet, and Kremlin Palace Ballet Theatre, with commendations from President Bush and President Clinton, and has performed for President and Mrs. Gorbachev, President Nazarbayev, and President and Mrs. Ford to name a few.
  
  He is a National Endowment for the Arts Awardee, and Two-time Laureate and Medal winner of International Ballet Competitions in Paris, France, and Budapest, Hungary. He was Director and Chief Choreographer of the shortly revived Russian Imperial Theatre of Opera and Ballet under the Patronage of Her Imperial Highness the Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna Romanov.
  
  Shannon was co-Artistic Director and Chief Choreographer of Russiches Kammertheater Berlin, and awarded Professor of Choreography from the Ukrainian State Academy of Ballet in 1999, and YAGP Outstanding Choreographer in 2008.
  
  In 2008, he became Resident Choreographer for America’s Configuration Dance Theatre, awarded Artvoice Best Dance Company in 2008, 2009, and 2010. From 2010 until 2014 he was Artistic Director and chief choreographer of the Royal Ballet School Antwerp.
  
  Since 2014 he resides in Tokyo, Japan and is a Choreographer and Master Teacher for Architanz. In October 2016 he created choreographed and directed a new 2 act contemporary ballet “Midnight in Paris,” for the Vanemuine Ballet Company in Tartu, Estonia, and in December 2016 he created and choreographed “Dui Dao,” a new 1 act contemporary ballet for the Beijing Dance Academy 3rd year Bachelor degree program.
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  Aizada Tumakova

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  Aizada Tumakova is a ballet dancer and choreographer from Bishkek, Kyrgyz. She has received numerous honors, including being named an Peopl's Artist of the Kyrgyz Republic, and is an honorary member of the International Academy of Arts. Educated at the Moscow State Academy of Choreography, she has performed as a principal soloist with ballet companies in Kyrgyz, Tajik, and Sweden. Currently, she serves as the Chief Choreographer at the Kyrgyz National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater, and is recognized as an internationally acclaimed ballet artist with a diverse repertoire.
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  Teet Kask

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  Teet Kask
  Teet Kask is a choreographer of international recognition. He has worked at Estonian National Opera and Ballet, Royal Swedish Ballet, Norwegian National Opera and Ballet and Tbilisi State Opera and Ballet. He has MA Choreography from famous LABAN - City University of London. Kask was appointed as Creative Director for Ballet and Contemporary Dance at new state music and dance school MUBA. He is active in a wide range of activities, including working with his own company, creating performances in public spaces, and organizing dance festivals.
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  Kimiho HULBERT

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  ベルギー生まれのイギリス人。5歳より岸辺光代のもとでバレエを始め、アントワープバレエ学校を経て、94年コロラドバレエ団に入団。97年に帰国し、その後新国立劇場バレエ団へ入団（97〜09年）。
  1999よりフリーとして日本バレエ協会公演などで活躍する一方、振付家としての活動を開始。2001年自身で振付・演出を手がけ、ダンサーとしても参加する『UNIT KIMIHO』を結成。
  2007年UNIT KIMIHO初の自主公演「GARDEN OF VISIONS」を開催後、オン★ステージ新聞アンケートによる新人振付家ベスト１に選出される。2010年トヨタ コレオグラフィーアワード 2010にてオーディエンス賞受賞。第47回(2015年度)舞踊批評家協会賞—新人賞受賞。
  またカンパニー活動の他、日本バレエ協会、新国立劇場(オペラ、バレエ団、バレエ研修)や国内の様々なバレエ団等で作品を上演。堤幸彦監督映画「溺れる魚」の振付、劇団昴「夏の夜の夢」、Willy Decker演出 新国立劇場オペラ「軍人たち」振付、田尾下哲演出ミュージカル「Bonnie and Clyde」、「The Club」、「リゴレット」(オペラ)振付、Johnson and Johnson CM、アンジェラ・アキPV等、舞台以外でも振付活動を行い、海外では韓国、ベルギー、オランダ、マレーシアなどにも招待され作品を発表している。また、若いダンサーの育成にも力を入れ、コンテンポラリークラスやコンクールバリエーション振付を担当。現在はクラシックバレエとコンテンポラリーバレエの両方踊るダンサー＆振付家として日本で活躍中。
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  Koichi Omae

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  Born in Japan (Gero, Gifu pref.) on September 27th, 1979
  Studied classic ballet at Osaka University of Arts. Omae mastered contemporary dance techniques and choreography methods in full-scale there, coming under the spotlight while in school. At age 24, shortly after starting a career as a professional dancer, his left leg below the knee was amputated due to car accident. There onwards, he took in movements from a wide range of genre including yoga, martial arts, rhythmic sportive gymnastics, etc, in order to continue dancing with a single leg. He managed to build up a unique, one-and-only dance style by devising the length of the artificial leg adjusted to each dance piece. In 2009, by collaorating with Noh actor Reijiro Tsumura in the piece produced by a world renowned choreographer Alessio Silvestrin, presented as a part of Cerulean Tower Noh Theater’s regular performance, came to prominence as an enchanting amputated dancer.
  In 2010, he was given Rookie of the Year Award and Osaka Governor’s Award in performance arts at Naniwa Performing Arts Festival hosted by Japan Western Dance Association.
  Omae is expanding his field by participating as a guest dancer in numerous traditional stages abroad such as in Tallin and Prague. He was also appointed as a brand ambassador for the major ballet-goods company Chacott’s new product “Tripure”.
  Between 2015-2016, being featured in numerous NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) documentaries, he gained prominence with his one of a kind performance as a dancer beyond comparison.
  Omae also performed solo at the Rio Paralympics closing ceremony in Sept., 2017, as the baton was passed to Tokyo. There he exhibited four continuous back handsprings with his single leg.
  In December 2016, he was invited to an event to pump up Tokyo Olympic Paralympic Games organized by Japan’s prestigious singer AI, where he performed solo at the Nippon Budokan.
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  Norihito Ishii

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  Norihito Ishii
  Butoh Artist / Choreographer / Director of Butoh Ishii-Gumi / Artistic Director of DEVIATE.CO
  
  Norihito Ishii began street dancing at the age of 17, earning numerous awards in competitions.
  After working as a backup dancer for artists and appearing in commercials and theme parks, he shifted his focus to stage performance in 2006, taking part in productions by acclaimed directors such as Yukio Ninagawa and Amon Miyamoto.
  
  Since launching his solo career in 2007, Ishii has pursued stage art that explores madness and universal beauty, delving into the depths of society and the human psyche.
  
  In 2010, he joined the butoh company Sankai Juku, performing in over 75 cities across 27 countries to date.
  
  He was the runner-up twice at the Seoul International Choreography Festival (SCF) in 2013 and 2015.
  
  Starting in 2017, he has staged the spatial art and butoh performance series "Garando no Niwa" in cities including Matsumoto, Sapporo, Tokyo.
  
  In 2020, he founded his own company, Butoh Ishii-Gumi, to explore the fusion of butoh technique and contemporary dance. In 2022, his piece "Seigi Kenri Ai" premiered in Paris.
  
  In 2021, he choreographed "CHAIN of INFINITY", directed by Tamiyo Kusakari, opening new artistic possibilities for butoh.
  
  In 2024, he was featured on the cover of Atmos Magazine, earning international recognition for his expressive physicality and philosophical depth.
  
  In 2025, Ishii participated in "DO the XR”, a project of the urban culture and technology art festival DIG SHIBUYA, where he created the XR butoh piece "unreal ritual", which was also exhibited at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai.
  That same year, he appeared in the world’s first professional dance league, D.LEAGUE, expanding the realm of butoh into contemporary dance.
  Through collaborations across diverse fields, he continues to broaden the awareness and possibilities of butoh.
  
  http://norihitoishii.com/index.html