Hikaru Ishii
Born and raised in a family in which all family members engage in expressive activities based on dance, Ishii herself started modern dance, creative dance, hula dance, and Eisa (traditional Okinawan dance) from a young age. As a member of, Kirakira Hikaru Art’s Japan, a creative dance troupe led by Kazumi Ishii she has performed in “consolation performances” in the disaster-hit regions of Tohoku and Kyushu, at the Borobudur International Festival in Indonesia, the 18th International Folklore Festival in Brandenburg, Germany, the International Bakhshi Art Festival in Uzbekistan, the International Folklore Festival Červený Kostelec, and other events.
Ishii began playing the Japanese Taiko drum from the age of 16, completing a course at the Kodo Apprentice Centre. Her current activities involve exploring forms of expression in which Japanese Taiko and dance expression are combined to harmonic effect. Through Taiko drum workshops, Japanese folk performing arts, lectures, etc., Ishii also tries her hand at projects which encourage modern Japanese people to join her in thinking about what Japan is, with the aim of recreating and representing the entire country in her work.