Category Archives: Studio Visits

ARTISTS:

Aoi Yamaguchi (fine artist/performance artist)

Born and raised in Hokkaido, Japan in 1984, Aoi Yamaguchi has been trained to master the basics of calligraphy by learning under the Master Zuiho Sato since the age of 6, while refining her knowledge and skills. She is a recipient of numerous awards including the First Place prize from the Minister of Education at 44th Asahi Calligraphy Nationwide School Exhibit, Superior First Place at 33rd National Students Calligraphy Exhibition and others that are known as the supreme prizes at competitive public exhibitions. As a noteworthy event, she was nominated to participate in the group, 4th Hokkaido Elementary and Junior High Students Visit to China in 2000, representing the country of Japan and participated in calligraphy exchange sessions at Palace of Pupils of China. Her works show her exploration in juxtaposing the traditional Eastern classics and her contemporary artistic expressions, as well as her unique ambition of transforming two-dimensional art of Japanese Calligraphy into the art of physical expression through performances. In 2008, she initiated a Japanese art crew as known as Surreality in Reality (SIR) based in San Francisco Bay Area, aiming to provide opportunities for local Japanese artists to share their artistic creations internationally. Currently living in Oakland, she has been working on her unique calligraphy installation, exhibition, live performances, custom logo designs and art works globally, as she pursues her career to preserve traditional arts with music in the modern world.

Sebastian Plano (Cellist / Contemporary Composer)
Born in Argentina of a musical family, Sebastian Plano is a classically trained contemporary composer and multi-instrumentalist. He started cello lessons at age 7 and left home at 17 to study abroad, eventually landing in San Francisco. Extensive travel from an early age instilled in him a deep appreciation for living with and learning from people of different cultures around the world. Despite his strong classical background, Sebastian’s music derives from a mixture of forms and genres, carefully combining diverse stylistic elements into thoughtful arrangements that bear the stamp of a single, unifying vision.

Celine Alwyn (Contemporary Dancer)
A native of San Francisco, Céline Alwyn has been performing, teaching, and creating both nationally and internationally professionally for the last 9 years. While in New York, she trained at the Ailey School, received her Pilates certification from the Kane School, and performed on Broadway in Bombay Dreams as an original cast member. In the United Kingdom, she completed an MA in Contemporary Dance at the London Contemporary Dance School, danced in works by Stephen Petronio, Garry Stewart, David Massingham, and Rui Horta, and toured with Bare Bones, a Birmingham-based dance company. Before returning to San Francisco, she toured internationally with Cirque Du Soleil’s Dralion, playing the character role of ‘Oceane’. Most recently, Céline has enjoyed working with local choreographers Katie Faulkner/Little Seismic Dance Company, Rachael Lincoln, & Amelia Rudolph. Together with the company of ‘Incognita: Revisited’, she won an ‘Izzie’ in 2012 for ‘Outstanding Achievement in Company Performance’. Céline is a dedicated dance educator and choreographer and is currently teaching creative movement, improvisation, and contemporary dance to students of all ages in schools and studios all over the Bay Area.

Emmaly Wiederholt (Contemporary Dancer)
Emmaly Wiederholt is originally from Albuquerque, NM and graduated from the University of Utah with a BFA in ballet and a BS in political science. She is an alumna of the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance and currently dances with Malinda LaVelle’s Project Thrust. She has previously danced with Vabang Dance Company, AXIS Dance Company in David Dorfman’s choreography, Christine Cali, Alyce Finwall Dance Theater, and Katie Faulkner’s Little Seismic Dance Company.  Emmaly also writes about dance, and contributes to the SF Examiner, the SF Bay Guardian, and In Dance. Emmaly is the founder, author, and editor of stanceondance.com.