New style group "MWnos" to hold triumphant return performance
The group MWnos, winner of the Kanagawa Short Play Award 2022 Drama Competition Grand Prize, will be holding a commemorative performance at Kanagawa Prefectural Youth Center Studio HIKARI from December 14th to 17th, 2023. We spoke to the three writers and directors to find out what the highlights of the show are.
Two dance companies come together
The Grand Prix winner, "ROBIN," was MWnos' first work, created in search of a new form of fusion between dance and theater.
ROBIN: Anxiety and conflict
MWnos: To be honest, I was surprised when I won the grand prize.
In a competition for short plays, we were worried and conflicted about whether our work, which included a lot of dance, would be seen as a play at all.
- I think "ROBIN" was a worthy work for this award, as it challenges new theatrical forms.
Uemura: I usually work in the dance field, so I was genuinely happy to receive such a response. It may be the opposite of what we should have done, but winning the award has made me think more deeply and cherish the characteristics of the MWnos group. Dance is not a genre where no talking is allowed, but I believe that there is a world we can reach precisely because we have faced expression in a world with few words.
- Was there anything else that made an impression on you?
Kubo: It was inspiring to be able to watch theatrical works by people of the same generation, even through a monitor. Because we have a short history of collaborations, it was a good opportunity to reconsider our own style, theater, dance, and expression.
Takahashi: The Kanagawa Short Play Awards results were announced through a public judging process, rather than just the results being announced, so it was interesting to see how our work would be evaluated as a theatrical piece. We ended up winning the Grand Prix, and at first it didn't really hit home, but as MWnos we were able to find new ways of expression and creation, so I'm glad we took on the challenge.
Dance as a Language: A Full-Length Work "Hitoguramu Hito"
MWnoz: "Jinguramu Hito" is a piece with the theme of "making casual conversations something with diverse expressions," and this will be its first performance. The connection to "ROBIN" is also one of the highlights, and it will be the first time that five people, including the three members of MWMW and the two members of Von・noz, will take on this challenge.
Uemura: The leaflet describes MWMW x Von・no's as a double performance of dance and theater, and we've literally scaled it up, so I hope you'll enjoy it, feel warm and fuzzy, and be a little surprised. I felt that we respected as much as possible the approaches that each group excels at, their ideas and thoughts, and always considered it an important axis to create the piece, that there are three possible answers. It's a piece that can be interpreted in three different ways by each group, so I hope the audience will also find their own answers.
- There are a lot of details that are interesting. Is there anything else worth seeing?
MWnos: To be honest, it was winning the Grand Prix for "ROBIN" that gave us the opportunity to understand who we are. Theater is words, and dance is physical expression. So what would happen if we tried to think of dance as a language? Winning the Grand Prix made us realize, "So this is the form that theater created by dancers takes," and it felt like our own style of expression became clearer.
Takahashi: As I was creating the piece, I felt it was more of a cross (x) than a plus, and not leaning too much towards one side, but rather a dance x theater piece, so I wanted to present it as a form of expression. I think it's a piece that even people who aren't familiar with dance or theater can enjoy, and I'd like people who are involved in dance and theater to see it too.
The uncut version of "ROBIN" is also available on YouTube, so you may enjoy it more if you check it out before coming to the venue.
-Finally, please tell us about your enthusiasm for the upcoming performances in Kanagawa and Yokohama.
Uemura: When I was a child, Yokohama was associated with Chinatown. After I discovered the Yokohama Dance Collection, I learned that many art events are held in Yokohama, and my impression of it changed to that of a city of art. As a port city, I also have the impression that there is a lot of interaction. It is an honor to be able to perform a work in such a passionate and lively area, and it is certainly exciting.
Kubo: Yokohama has many small theaters and art spaces, including the Kanagawa Arts Theatre, Kanagawa Prefectural Civic Hall, and the Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse, and I get the impression that it's a city that puts a lot of effort into the arts. We're also very excited to be able to perform in Yokohama. This time, we'll be performing during the art festival "Yokohama International Performing Arts Meeting 2023 (YPAM2023)," so we hope that people will come and see MWnos' performance as they hop from venue to venue, just like going to a food stall.
Takahashi: We've performed dance pieces all over Yokohama in the past, but this time we'll be participating in the Yokohama International Performing Arts Meeting 2023 (YPAM2023) and will be performing as part of the fringe program. It's a chance for more people to learn about our work. Audiences will be coming from overseas, so we hope it will be an opportunity for us to spread our wings from Yokohama to the world.
MWnos
"Jinguramu Hito" special page: here
Full version of the winning work "ROBIN" (YouTube): here
MWno's "Hitoguramu Hito"
Date and time: December 14th (Thursday) to December 17th (Sunday), 2023
Venue: Kanagawa Prefectural Youth Center Studio HIKARI (9-1 Momijigaoka, Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture)
Written, directed and choreographed by Takahashi Moto, Uemura Yuki and Kubo Kae
Cast: Takahashi Moto, Uemura Yuki, Kubo Kae, Kanamori Atsuyo, Nakatani Yuki
MWMW
Instagram: here
YouTube channel: here
"Von・no's"
Instagram: here
