Allegra
Allegra
Benjamin Akio Kimitch
Benjamin Akio Kimitch
Choreographer Benjamin Akio Kimitch conjures a fantasy Japanese American court dance where history presses against memory, and memory against imagination. Drawing from family oral history and years of research in the United States and Japan, ballet stages give way to temple grounds, barren foothills, army barracks, and the stench of empty horse stables. Benjamin’s Allegra turns to Bugaku, an ancient dance form whose roots stretch across Persia, India, China, Korea, and Japan. In postwar U.S.-Japan relations, performances of Bugaku inspired multiple collaborations with New York City Ballet, including George Balanchine’s own “Bugaku” ballet. These histories converge through a Japanese American lens anchored by the aftermath of the camps in World War II.
Commissioned to premiere in New York City in October 2026, this and subsequent U.S. touring will be accompanied by a public symposium framework and a companion publication. Together, these elements offer accessible spaces for audiences to unpack the work’s layered influences: postwar Japanese art, U.S. soft power, and Japanese American incarceration.
Dance, Performing Arts
2026
About Benjamin Akio Kimitch
Brooklyn, NY
Benjamin Akio Kimitch is an artist and producer living in Brooklyn, NY. He is the recent recipient of a Bessie Award for Outstanding Choreographer, Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grants to Artists Award, and Creative Capital Award. Kimitch’s commissioned works have been presented by New York Live Arts, Lincoln Center, Jacob’s Pillow, The Shed, The Noguchi Museum, The Kitchen, and Danspace Project. He has been awarded fellowships and residencies with Asian Cultural Council, MacDowell, Yaddo, Movement Research, MANCC, and others. Kimitch brings to his artistic work nearly two decades of experience as a professional producer for new opera, music, theater, and dance. Most recently, he was a Producer at PAC NYC, which included developing Cats: The Jellicle Ball before its Broadway transfer.
Benjamin Akio Kimitch is an artist and producer living in Brooklyn, NY. He is the recent recipient of a Bessie Award for Outstanding Choreographer, Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grants to Artists Award, and Creative Capital Award. Kimitch’s commissioned works have been presented by New York Live Arts, Lincoln Center, Jacob’s Pillow, The Shed, The Noguchi Museum, The Kitchen, and Danspace Project. He has been awarded fellowships and residencies with Asian Cultural Council, MacDowell, Yaddo, Movement Research, MANCC, and others. Kimitch brings to his artistic work nearly two decades of experience as a professional producer for new opera, music, theater, and dance. Most recently, he was a Producer at PAC NYC, which included developing Cats: The Jellicle Ball before its Broadway transfer.