Kyukakuushio is a performance unit led by Tomohiko Tsujimoto and Mirai Moriyama. Since their launch in 2010, the pair have always been at the forefront of the times, and will be appearing at Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse No. 1 with their new work, "A Chirashite: A Wonderful Coincidence," their first in two years. What are they seeking and aiming for?
In preparation for the new performance, they will be creating the piece in Hazu, Nishio City, Aichi Prefecture in May of this year. They are also planning to create it in Hong Kong from October 28th. Before leaving for Hong Kong, we spoke to the two as they worked together in the rehearsal room.
*The kanji for "Tsuji" in Mr. Tsujimoto's name is displayed with one dot, but depending on the environment it may be displayed with two dots.
First of all, what is "Kyukakuushio"?
Moriyama was originally a unit that I launched with Tomo-san (Tomohiko Tsujimoto) in 2010. This time, as an experiment, all nine members, including the staff, became members of Kyukakuushio, and are involved in the creation from an equal standpoint and are constructing the work.
When creating a work, it is necessary for someone to take the initiative, and that is Tomo-san and my role. However, in the process leading up to that, I was concerned that, for example, the lighting and sound staff often end up "waiting for instructions." This kind of "vertical relationship" may be common in Japan, but I want to change that. Even if we make the final decision, I want the process leading up to it to be a flat relationship. I want to create a relationship where each person independently makes suggestions and moves forward.
Tsujimoto : If we're going to do it, we want to continue doing it for the next 10 years, so to achieve that, we want to avoid changing the members as much as possible.
Moriyama: In the production sites where we are usually involved, we often end up with a temporary relationship where we disband after one work is finished. This is also an attempt to see how far we can make that environment a continuous one and launch works with fixed members.
You two have been working together since 2010, has your relationship changed?
Tsujimoto : A lot has changed. I think the biggest change is that I've become more positive about the talent of others. Respect changes the way you speak and ask questions, and it also changes the way you create. Of course, there was respect from the time we met, but on the flip side, there was also "denial." Like, "It's great, but I think that's different."
Moriyama : I might have had a strong critical viewpoint. We went to see each other's works and said, "What was that?" and "That's no good." If we have that kind of relationship, wouldn't it be better to try it together? "Kyuukakuushio" was born out of Tomo's suggestion.
I guess it's a sort of "shared responsibility" kind of idea that if it's just the two of them making it, there won't be any criticism.
Moriyama : It's true, our relationship has changed since we started working together in 2010. There's no more pointless criticism anymore (laughs).
It's not that Tsujimoto Naka is bad, but because he is so dedicated to his art, I think there tends to be more criticism than praise.
Moriyama: Since I met Tomo-san, I have been receiving a lot of stimulation, and various words have stuck in my mind, which became the elements that made me imagine my own body. From there, I have gained various experiences and have started to independently create my own performances.
Tomo-san, in the past, rather than choreographing for others, he focused on being a dancer himself, but now he not only dances but also actively choreographs. So, I feel that he is involved from a different perspective than before.
In 2017, when we performed last time, I think my consciousness was different from now, and I myself still had little experience. For me, I still felt something like tension about dancing in front of Tomo-san, and we had various conversations in that environment, and I think the work that was born from that was interesting.
Two years have passed since then, and I feel like a different dialogue is now emerging.
Is it like you understand without having to be told?
Moriyama: That's not true. You won't know unless you tell me (laughs).
Tsujimoto: Rather than critique or criticism, it feels more like we are working together. Because we both feel that we are "creating one thing."
Moriyama : I didn't choose nine people because I thought it would be like this from the beginning. At least, I didn't. But by choosing nine people, I became aware that "the work does not move only with the relationship between the two of us." There are parts where I look at it from a bird's-eye view as the creator, and there are also points of view where I deliberately enter into it subjectively. It's not that I no longer feel nervous about dancing in front of Tomo-san, but by facing eight people instead of two people, there is a different feeling of the body that needs to be launched from there.
Participants experienced rice planting at the creation center in Hazu, Nishio City, Aichi Prefecture.
Tsujimoto: I wanted to experience the "work movements" that Japanese people do, such as rice planting and harvesting. I had been saying this for years, and now I have finally been able to do it.
Moriyama : Yes, it was great to have a training camp with nine of us. Farming is a distant thing for us now, but I think we are people who rose up as an agricultural people. That's why many of our daily movements are rooted in the soil. When I think about that, I've always had a desire to experience what it means to have a body that is Japanese, that "I have to get into the rice field first."
"In May of this year, I was an artist-in-residence in Hazu, Nishio City, Aichi Prefecture. On the final day, I invited the local people who had helped me out to a showing in the rice fields."
Are you swimming?
Tsujimoto : I'm not swimming (laughs).
Moriyama : I think I swam a little bit (laughs). What surprised me was that the mud didn't taste like mud. I thought that if I got rice paddy water in my mouth, it would have a muddy smell that would make me want to spit it out, but I was surprised that it didn't have any unpleasant smell at all.
At first, Tsujimoto thought it was a little dirty, but as he removed the weeds and tilled the land, he felt that it was becoming cleaner.
And slime. I can't forget the action of "Hum slime" that is in a verse of a haiku that all the members wrote. The movement of stepping on the ground changes depending on whether you have actually had that experience, and I think the meaning is different. I had been paying attention to it for a long time, so I felt a sense of accomplishment.
One more thing. It doesn't appear in the video, but there were customers around us at the time, and they were laughing out loud. We express our bodies in a stoic way, but I think it was good that we were able to do something that was refreshing and funny at the other extreme.
Moriyama : It's a fundamental part.
Tsujimoto: I was glad that the people who came to watch the show enjoyed it. I think that when he and I stand on stage facing each other, a unique atmosphere of tension is created. In contrast, I think we were able to recognize that we have different charms. We were able to express our humorous side honestly.
What kind of work do you think it will be this time?
Tsujimoto : My personal opinion is, "I'm going to make something you've never seen before, so come and see it." Since the definition of something new is not fixed, the audience may be confused, but I want to make something that makes people say, "Oh, I've never seen that before."
Moriyama : What I want to aim for is, "How can I incorporate into my work the phenomenon that is possible only because we are here, facing the audience, right now?"
That's abstract. So in one word:
Come and see our dance performance!
Tomohiko Tsujimoto
Born in Osaka Prefecture. He did not start dancing as a child, but instead focused on basketball from elementary school, achieving many successes. He started dancing and snowboarding at the age of 18, and after moving to the United States in 1997, he traveled abroad and became the first Japanese male dancer to be hired by Cirque du Soleil in 2007. He then successfully performed 485 shows in 27 countries with the Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour. He is currently also active as a choreographer.
Mirai Moriyama
Born in Hyogo Prefecture, he is an artist who is not bound by categories such as theater and dance.
In 2013, she stayed in Israel for one year as a cultural envoy for the Agency for Cultural Affairs, and worked in European countries based with the Inbal Pinto & Avshalom Pollak Dance Company.
Winner of the Best Supporting Actor Award at the 40th Japan Academy Awards and the 10th Japan Dance Forum Award in 2015.
This event has ended.
Exploration
"A wonderful coincidence" (World Premiere)
[Dates] Friday, November 22, 2019 - Sunday, December 1, 2019
[Venue] Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse No. 1, 3F Hall
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The giveaway application period has now ended. Thank you to everyone who applied.
[Gift application details]
We will be giving away tickets to "Kyukakuushio: Chirashi wo Wondrous Coincidences" (World Premiere) to two people per group for each of the following performances, which will be held at the 3rd floor hall of Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse No. 1.
■November 26th (Tue) 19:00~ 2 people per group
■ November 27th (Wed) 19:00~ 1 group of 2 people
■November 28th (Thursday) 19:00~ 1 group of 2 people
【Application method】
If you would like to receive a viewing ticket as a gift, please select a date and time from the application form below and apply. We look forward to receiving your application.
[Application Deadline]
Until 24:00 on Sunday, November 10, 2019
[Lottery and Winner Announcement]
Winners will be notified by email, so please be careful to check your spam settings. Emails will be sent from the Magcal.net Management Office (info.magcul@gmail.com).
The above email will serve as the winner notification instead of the announcement of the winner. On the day of the performance, please present the winning notification email at the reception desk at the venue, "Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse No. 1, 3F Hall". A staff member will hand you the ticket.
*Personal information provided will not be used for any purpose other than the lottery.
