ABOUT

Yokohama Dance Collection 2023

Contemporary Dance Sought by a Contemporary Era——This year marks the 29th annual edition of the Yokohama Dance Collection since its start in 1996. Over the years, this open competition has given birth to over 500 new works of art thanks to its finalists. Like past years, this year will be graced by the free expressions of recent award-winning artists, the unique worlds crafted by globally renowned choreographers, and the diverse artistic expressions facilitated through collaborations with dance networks both domestic and international. This multifaceted event transcends the confines of dance genres, embracing unconventional forms of expression while pushing and sometimes completely leaving the boundaries of established norms. Contemporary dance, where creators and audiences can come together in the same space and directly connect with the value created there, and that reexamines the relationship between the body and society, as well as human beings themselves, serves as a means to perceive our present reality.

Observing Phenomena: Nature and the Body——In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it often feels like barriers are growing higher and higher all around the world. Now, more than ever, I feel we should seize the opportunity to view the world through a broader perspective, one that encompasses nature, the cosmos, and other grand vistas, as we contemplate the future. Additionally, the excess of visual information in today’s world is overwhelming. The human body responds to its environment, while its every move can also have a global impact. The body is an autonomous life form and the most immediate representation of nature itself. In the natural world, phenomena like the sea, the sky, lightning, wind, and rainwater, as well as light and sound, coexist on an equal plane with the body. I look forward to the various interactions that will emerge from the world unleashed by the dancers’ bodies, as the audience listens attentively and feels with their skin and entire body, and imagination.

Ono Shinji
（Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse No.1 Director／Chief producer）