BAM Affiliation Eiko & Koma's collaboration began as an experiment and evolved into an exclusive partnership. In the early 1970s they studied with Kazuo Ohno, who along with Hijikata was one of the central figures in the Japanese avant-garde theatrical movement of the 1960s. Preferring to perform original works, Eiko & Koma never studied traditional Japanese dance or theater. Their interest in German Neue Tanz movement took them to Germany, where they studied and toured extensively for two years. The Japan Society sponsored Eiko & Koma's first American performance in 1976. Since then they have toured theaters, universities, museums, galleries, and festivals across the North America, Europe, and Japan. They have appeared at BAM's Next Wave Festival five times, presenting most recently When Nights Were Dark in 2000.