Ishida Dance Company Announces “Inside My Walls”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 18, 2025
Interview and Images Available Upon Request
Contact: ISHIDA | brett@ishidadance.org

ISHIDA DANCE COMPANY ANNOUNCES
INSIDE MY WALLS
WORLD PREMIERE TO PLAY HOUSTON JUNE 2025

TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY, APRIL 25

(Houston, TX) – ISHIDA Dance Company, nationally recognized in Dance Magazine’s “25 to watch”, in  collaboration with Asia Society presents inside my walls with critically acclaimed dancers and  choreography by ISHIDA, Greek choreographer Andonis Foniadakis, and Stephen Shropshire based in  the Netherlands. inside my walls will play Houston June 12-15, 2025 at the Asia Society Texas Center.  Tickets go on sale Friday, April 25 at IshidaDance.org. 

The program features the world premiere of an original ISHIDA poetic narrative inside my walls inspired  by internationally acclaimed Japanese author Haruki Murakami. Utilizing magical realism, inside my  walls follows an introvert dictated by routine, who hoards piles of newspapers on the perimeter of his  apartment which he believes protects him from harm. Encountering a mysterious visitor who has been  living inside his apartment walls, he finds unexpected solace in their companionship.  

The program also includes a highly anticipated world premiere by guest choreographer Stephen  Shropshire former artistic director of Noord Nederlandse Dans who has received awards and honors for  his choreography in Europe. Greek choreographer Andonis Foniadakis returns to ISHIDA with his  ethereal work Horizons. Foniadakis’ work is well known in the European dance community commissioned by many of the top European dance companies over the past two decades. The evening  promises to be a unique opportunity to see some of best and most interesting choreography from  Europe and the US.  

World Premiere of inside my walls | HOUSTON, TX  
June 12-15, 2025 | Thursday – Saturday at 8 pm; Sunday at 3 pm 
Asia Society Texas Center | 1370 Southmore Blvd, Houston TX 77004 
Tickets: $30-$90/VIP $120 | Tickets available at IshidaDance.org 

*VIP tickets include premium seating with access to a post-performance reception to meet the dancers  and choreographers. 

About ISHIDA Dance Company 

ISHIDA Dance presents original ISHIDA poetic narratives as well as works by exciting new and internationally established choreographers working with some of the most sought-after dancers (Houston Ballet, English National, Ballet BC, Ballet Vlaanderen, Nederlands Dans Theater, tanzmainz,  Scapino Ballet Rotterdam, Ballets Jazz de Montréal) from Texas and around the world. Choreographers present engaging works that have never been performed for Texas audiences and in many cases are world premieres. These unique works invite empathy and introspection to lead to greater kindness towards oneself and the community.  

About Brett Ishida – Artistic Director 

Artistic Director Brett Ishida is Japanese American and grew up on a citrus farm in California’s Central  Valley. Her love for dance inspired her to move away from home at age fifteen when she received a full scholarship to Kirov Academy and later to School of American Ballet in NYC. She danced with Boston  Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, where she first choreographed, and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens performing works by celebrated choreographers Nacho Duato, William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, and Ohad  Naharin, among others. She later graduated from UCLA earning a BA in Literature with emphasis in  Poetry. She felt by combining these two worlds from her past, she could become a new voice in contemporary dance and started her own company, ISHIDA, captivating audiences in Houston and  Austin.  

From the onset, ISHIDA’s work has been critically acclaimed: Broadway World described her work as  “stunning and compelling…an incredible boon to the Houston art scene.” Dance Magazine named  ISHIDA in the venerated ‘25 to Watch’ and The Washington Post’s Pulitzer-prize winning dance critic  Sarah L. Kaufman deemed ISHIDA’s piece home-coming which “tackled a deeply poignant, poetic theme”  to be “remarkable.” ISHIDA’s work was presented at the 10,000 Dreams festival at The Kennedy Center  in June 2024 featuring works by top Asian Choreographers around the world; Ballet Herald reviewed  ISHIDA’s work as “the most memorable and effective piece in this program.”  

In December 2024, ISHIDA debuted her first commission for Houston Ballet which Paper City writer  Adrienne Jones described as “unforgettable.” At ISHIDA’s last sold out run of performances in January,  reviewer Fredrick Goodall said ISHIDA’s world premiere soul-writer was “a masterclass in storytelling  through movement.” 

About Guest Choreographer – Stephen Shropshire 

Stephen Shropshire is a choreographer, curator and dance researcher who has created new choreographic works for companies such as Ballet BC, Scapino Ballet Rotterdam, Danish Dance Theater,  New Zealand Dance Company, and Hong Kong Ballet as well as for prestigious festivals all around the globe. He ran his own company Noord Nederlandse Dans and was artistic coordinator of the  Nederlandse Dansdagen dansMusem. He is a graduate of the Juilliard School in New York City, holds an MA from the University of Maastricht, and is a doctoral candidate at PhDArts, Leiden University  Academy of Creative and Performing Arts in collaboration with the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague. 

About Guest Choreographer – Andonis Foniadakis 

Greek-born choreographer Andonis Foniadakis began his career as a professional dancer with the Ballet de l’Opéra de Lyon (1996–2002), where he worked with such leading choreographers as Maguy Marin and Jiří Kylián. He founded his own company, Apotosoma, in 2003. He has choreographed for many companies, including the Béjart Ballet Lausanne, Ballett Theater Basel, the Sydney Dance Company, the  National Dance Company of Wales, Manheim National Theatre, and Les Ballets Jazz Montreal. From 2016 to 2018 he was the director of the Greek National Opera Ballet. He created the choreography for three French operas, collaborated with Darren Aronofsky on the film “Noah”, and worked with Palais de Tokyo on the exhibition Prec(ar)ious Collectives in Athens. In 2012, he received the Danza Award for  Best Choreography for “Les Noces”, created for the MaggioDanza ballet company in Italy.

About Asia Society Texas 

Asia Society Texas believes in the strength and beauty of diverse perspectives and people. As an educational institution, we advance cultural exchange by celebrating the vibrant diversity of Asia,  inspiring empathy, and fostering a better understanding of our interconnected world. Spanning the fields of arts, business, culture, education, and policy, our programming is rooted in the educational and cultural development of our community — trusting in the power of art, dialogue, and ideas to combat bias and build a more inclusive society. 

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