Alumni Watch: Ryuji Yamaguchi '03

Seven trombone players, seven interpretive dancers, four cubes (each with sides of exactly seven feet, of course), and a Harvard graduate all stand in a room together. Salvador Dali couldn’t have thought of a situation more sublimely absurd. But those very ingredients formed the basis of “7x7x7x7x7,” a modern dance piece choreographed by Ryuji Yamaguchi ’03 and performed in New York City early last month. Since graduation, Yamaguchi has been globetrotting from New York to Japan, attempting to make a name for himself in the competitive world of professional dance.

After he began his career as a choreographer and dancer at Massachusetts’s Deerfield Academy, Yamaguchi worked on a number of pieces at Harvard, and found quick success after graduation. He earned a space and production grant at New York City’s P.S. 122 performance space in 2004, and has since worked on pieces with world-renowned dancers and choreographers Douglas Dunn, Jennifer Monson, and Yoshiko Chuma. On October 2nd, Yamaguchi had the honor of seeing “7x7x7x7x7” debut at New York’s City Center.

However, Yamaguchi continues to perform and work at the campus of his alma mater, returning to Cambridge as recently as last week As part of the “Forte!” dance festival, he performed a solo piece entitled “Self-Portrait” at Sanders Theatre on October 25th, and on Halloween, he showcased a handful of selected dances at Green Central Square’s Green Street Studios. Yamaguchi will return to campus yet again for collaborations with the Harvard Contemporary Dance Ensemble on Nov. 13, 14, and 15 at 8 p.m. in the Rieman Center for the Performing Arts in Radcliffe Yard.

Yamaguchi is currently rehearsing for a dance choreographed by Rebecca J. Alaly ’04 that will premiere at the Harvard Dance Center’s Inaugural Concert on Dec. 9 and 10.