
Go, see, and feel the world of art
File.19 head and mouth x Defracto "Yokai Kemame"
Miyuki Inoue (Magcal Editorial Department)
"Youkai Kemame" will soon begin at KAAT Kanagawa Arts Theater.
Juggling x contemporary dance x circus.
Interesting, but kind of weird.
The illustration of Koji Suzuki used for the flyer is also full of wonderful suspicion.
what exactly are they trying to do?
I exercised my editorial privilege and went to the rehearsal hall.
From the very beginning, I was overwhelmed by their high physical ability and good combination.
Since this is still just a light warm-up before entering rehearsals, it is impossible to predict what kind of performance will unfold on the actual stage.
Reflecting that my understanding of "juggling" was shallow, I interviewed Takashi Watanabe of {Head and Mouth}.

Watanabe first encountered juggling when he was 20 years old, a freshman at an art university.
"I went to a friend's house and saw four of them juggling under a kotatsu. I thought this was interesting, so a week later I bought myself a ball and started playing."
A family juggling oranges under a kotatsu?
Watanabe, who was addicted to juggling, realized that physicality was essential to deepen his juggling skills, and worked on ballet and breakdancing. After working as a member of a contemporary dance company in Japan and overseas, in 2015, he founded the juggling company {Head and Mouth}.
“I work in the context of contemporary art, but this time, I challenged myself to break away from the ‘difficult to understand’ atmosphere of contemporary art and create works that anyone can enjoy.”
The venue is a large studio on the 8th floor of KAAT Kanagawa Arts Theater. A 360-degree stage is prepared with the audience surrounding the acting area set up in the center.
“We travel all over the world and perform in various places, so it is important that the work can be adapted to any environment. increase"
Certainly, juggling and dancing do not depend on language, so it may be possible to communicate freely with people all over the world.
In a corner of the studio, Sakurako Gibo, a member of {Head and Mouth}, is working on a juggling ball. The hand-knitted balls are cute and cute, yet the feeling of being able to change freely is like a work of contemporary art.
The “shattering sound” that you hear every time you catch the ball may be part of the art. This is a robot that plays music by musician Sylvain Chemon. It seems that live performances of slightly mysterious music are performed here and there in the venue.
It seems that roof tiles can also be used as musical instruments. New and second-hand tiles of various shapes are lined up, and when a golf ball hits them, they make different sounds, and it is possible to play a musical scale.
No juggling balls, no music, nothing "normal". At the same time, it does not fall into the “difficulty to understand” that is common in contemporary music. I don't know what will happen, but I can expect a very free and interesting stage.
Guillaume Martinet, who co-stars with Watanabe, encountered juggling at the age of 20, and is currently active in the popular French juggling company {Defracto}.
“I met the two [head and mouth] through a mutual friend. We were supposed to be on the 3rd, but ended up living together for about a month (laughs).We talked a lot about juggling, and we hit it off.”
Watanabe and I have done creations before, but this is the first time we will be performing together on stage. In other words, it will be a "world premiere" as a unit work. This time, together with Watanabe, he visited Kyoto and Okinawa, where he also did residencies.
I'm also improving my Japanese, so I asked Magcal readers to write a message.
The blue letters below are Guillaume's letters. *The letters above are the staff's "models".
“We want to meet a variety of audiences, so please come and see us. There is nothing difficult.

This event has ended.
KAAT DANCE SERIES 2019
Youkai Kemame L'esprit des haricots poilus
[Date and time] October 5th (Sat) and 6th (Sun)
10/5 (Sat) 12:00-/17:00-
10/6 (Sun) 12:00-/15:00-
*Doors open 30 minutes before the start of the performance.
= Babysitting service available. Reservation required at least one week before the performance, paid (Mothers Tel. 0120-788-222).
[Venue] KAAT Kanagawa Arts Theater Large Studio
[Performers] Hisashi Watanabe, Guillaume Martinet
[Music/Special appearance] Makoto Nomura
[Fee] (All seats are unreserved) General ¥3,000, pair ticket ¥5,000, same-day ticket ¥3,500, under 24 ¥1,500, high school student under ¥1,000, silver (over 65) ¥2,500
*Pair tickets are available at Ticket Kanagawa (advance sales only).
*Discounts for 24 and younger, high school students and younger, and silver discounts are handled by Ticket Kanagawa (advance sales only, limited number of tickets, ID required).
[Ticket sales]
■ Ticket Kanagawa TEL.0570-015-415 (10:00-18:00)
■ Ticket Pia (P code: 495-588) TEL.0570-02-9999
■ eplus
■ Lawson Ticket (L code: 35291) TEL.0570-084-003
[Organizer] KAAT Kanagawa Arts Theater
[Inquiries] 0570-015-415 (Ticket Kanagawa/10:00-18:00)
*Please refrain from entering with preschool children.
*If you are in a wheelchair, please contact Ticket Kanagawa in advance.
* Prohibition of resale for commercial purposes.