Dance Cross is the joint project between the French Embassy and Institut français du Japon. Okamoto Yu won the French Embassy Prize for Young Choreographer at the Yokohama Dance Collection 2019, but her residence in France was postponed due to the spread of the infectious coronavirus. This year she will present a concept she has been working on that she hopes to develop more in the future. The program will also highlight a French choreographer from the new generation, selected by Aymar Crosnier, with an interview and excerpts of his work. On top of that, Umeda Hiroaki, who gained the attention of the world dance community by winning the chance to premier in Europe at the Rencontres Choregraphiques Internationales De Seine-Saint-Denis (formerly named the Bagnolet International Choreography Festival) in 2002 at the Yokohama Platform, will be performing his masterpiece in Yokohama for the first time in nearly 20 years.
Umeda Hiroaki “while going to a condition”
Okamoto Yu “Children 2021”Dance Cross
- 2.13 [sat] 18:00
- 2.14 [sun] 15:00
Umeda Hiroaki
Umeda Hiroaki actively performs on stages around the world, especially in Europe and Japan. His work spans across a wide variety of fields, from dance to music, technology, art and more. “while going to a condition” was premiered in Europe in 2002 after receiving the right to perform at the Rencontres Choregraphiques Internationales De Seine-Saint-Denis (formerly named Bagnolet International Choreography Festival), gaining Umeda sudden attention from the world dance community. By fusing light, sound, images, and all elements of the body for a hybrid performance, he brings to life on stage a “picture in a specific stage of energy,” filling audiences with different physical conditions that transform without end.
“while going to a condition”
- Choreography, Performance:Umeda Hiroaki
- Sound & Lighting Design:S20
Photo：Tarumi AyaUmeda Hiroaki
Since 2002, Hiroaki Umeda’s choreography has been invited around the world including Chaillot National Theater in Paris, with performances in over 150 cities in 40 countries. He was commissioned from and choreographed for festivals and companies such as GötenborgsOperans Danskompani and L.A Dance Project. His work goes beyond dance and choreography, encompassing sound, video and lighting design. In recent years, he has also produced installations focusing on physical sensation. His installations have been presented in 21_21 DESIGH SIGHT, NTT InterCommunication Center [ICC] and many other international festivals around the world.
Okamoto Yu
Okamoto Yu is an excellent, highly skilled dancer, and fascinates viewers with performances boasting an integration of intense physical expression, costumes, decoration and art. She received the French Embassy Prize for Young Choreographer at the Yokohama Dance Collection 2019 Competition I. Since her residence in France scheduled for spring of 2020 was postponed due to the spread of the coronavirus, we will be presented again with her work “Children,” a concept that she plans to develop further in the future, after its premier at the Toyota Choreography Award in 2012.
Children… full of original intentions and stories as they flock together. Holding on to a lump inside that they cannot get rid of, they fight furiously yet quietly. This is her second stab at a work that she regrets so much she can’t even remember.
“Children 2021”
- Choreography, Concept, Direction:Okamoto Yu
- Performance:Kudo Kyoko, Shibata Nanako, Shinohe Yoshika, Okamoto Yu
- Music Design:Okada Taro
- Video:Nakase Syungsuke <Baobab>
- Residence Cooperation:Dance Base Yokohama
Photo: bozzoOkamoto Yu
Based in her home city Tokyo, she performs all over the country and the world, creating in spaces that come her way. She started learning classical ballet at the age of 3 and has experience in street and jazz dance. She graduated from J.F. Oberlin University in 2011. Studied under Kisanuki Kuniko. She has appeared in choreographed works by Kasai Akira, Kisanuki Kuniko, Kasai Mitsutake x Uemura Naoka, Kondo Ryohei, Ito Chie, Kuroda Ikuyo, Kumagai Takuaki Hiroaki and others. She presides over the explosive dance group <tabatha> (who all where glasses) and participated in Wiz World Dance Festival 2016 (Incheon, South Korea) and Sibu International Dance Festival 2019 (Sibu, Malaysia). In addition to appearing in music videos and such, she also choreographs commercials, idol group performances, and theatrical works. She is an instructor at studio RADA Ballet. She has received the French Embassy Prize for Young Choreographer at the Yokohama Dance Collection 2019 Competition I, and the FITS Prize(award at the Sibiu International Theatre Festival).