Dancers

Dancer, Artist
Hailing from a suburban town near Yokohama, Japan, Shu Kinouchi is a ballet dancer and multifaceted artist. His journey into the world of movement commenced at the Mayumi Kinouchi Ballet Studio. Growing up immersed in ballet, Shu found himself unable to envision a world without dance.

Fascinated by the intersection of traditional ballet and the bone manipulations in martial arts, Shu embarked on a quest to blend these diverse styles into a unique expression of movement. Notably, Shu was invited by Janie Taylor of L.A. Dance Project, a former principal ballerina of New York City Ballet, to collaborate on choreographing an evening for Martha Becket’s Amargosa Opera House 56th anniversary. Additionally, Shu has created and performed his own solo work for Dancer Create at L.A. Dance Project. Continuing his creative journey, Shu is preparing an evening of solo dance theater in collaboration with designer Shin Okuda of Waka Waka and young queer writer and director Carolyn Braver.

In 2020, Shu was fortunate to join the esteemed L.A. Dance Project, where he infused his own distinctive style into collaborative efforts. Prior to this chapter, he had the pleasure of dancing with notable companies such as the Houston Ballet, Tulsa Ballet, and the Studio Company of American Ballet Theatre. His journey has taken him to stages around the globe, from the grandeur of La Philharmonie in Paris to the enchanting Dubai Opera and the cultural hub of Melbourne's State Theatre, Metropolitan Opera House to the Joyce in NYC. Along the way Shu has had the privilege of collaborating with renowned choreographers Benjamin Millepied, Bobbi Jene Smith, Or Schraiber, Aszure Barton, William Forsythe, Jessica Lang, Stanton Welch, Jill Johnson, Madeline Hollander, Nicolo Fonte, Christopher Wheeldon, Ben Stevenson, Kazuyuki Futami, Melody Walsh, Ma Cong, Matthew Neenan, Jodie Gates, Ronald Hynd, Susan Jaffe, Connor Walsh, Oliver Halkowich, and Marcello Angelini among others.

Shu Kinouchi

L.A. Dance Project Alumni
Stephanie Amurao, Laura Bachman, Doug Baum, McKenna Birmingham, Marissa Brown, Anthony Lee Bryant, Aaron Carr, Randy Castillo, Frances Chiaverini, Jessy Crist, Julia Eichten, Kaitlyn Gilliland, Mario Gonzalez, Oliver Greene-Cramer, Sierra Herrera, Leo Hishikawa, Charlie Hodges, Axel Ibot, Daisy Kate Jacobson, Payton Johnson, Carla Körbes, Morgan Lugo, Nathan Makolandra, Peter Mazurowski, Robbie Moore, Francisco Mungamba, Rachelle Rafailedes, Gianna Reisen, Lilja Ruriksdottir, Vinicius Silva, Janie Taylor, Miranda Wattier, Amanda Wells, Patricia Zhou