ABOUT

Since its launch in 1996, the aims of the Yokohama Dance Collection have been to discover and foster young choreographers and to promote the spread of contemporary dance. The competition at the heart of its dance festival framework highly values originality in choreography by artists who bring fresh perspectives to creative expression, using the body in ways in tune with their times. As part of the preparations for the 22nd Yokohama Dance Collection in 2017, we partnered with the Yokohama Museum of Art to present a special exhibition with the theme BODY/PLAY/POLITICS (October-December 2016). Additional components in our framework include performances of works by globally active artists and, as part of our collaborative projects with other dance festivals throughout Asia, a dazzling variety of programs contributing to the creation of a shared dance platform for Asia.

Choreography gives form to community and social identity latent in the body and has, since ancient times, reflected values and aesthetics reflecting customs and religion, together with new senses of a future that cannot yet be expressed in words. It includes new works such as “VESSEL Yokohama” by choreographer Damien Jalet and sculptor Nawa Kohei, which transcends Eros and Thanatos to probe the origins of life. Choreographer Eisa Jocson's “HOST” addresses the marginalized body, revisiting social and cultural boundaries. New performances by Tada Junnosuke continue to address issues in contemporary society directly with the audience and to raise the fundamental questions: What is performance? And what is dance? This program is linked to the BODY/PLAY/POLITICS exhibition at the Yokohama Museum of Art to dig deeply into to the roles played by the body in both dance and art.