Japan / Spain Dance Project “TÓPOS”

Kaho Kogure | Pau Aran Gimeno | Junya Ishii

Thank you, love you, see you soon! SuperDeluxe Closing Celebration

Where do we come from? Where are we going?

We are pleased to announce that Japan Spain dance Project TÓPOS is going to present an event at SuperDeluxe Tokyo. TÓPOS is an ongoing contemporary dance project which started with a Japanese dancer, actor JUNYA ISHII and a Spanish / Catalan dancer, choreographer PAU ARAN GIMENO, and a Japanese London based visual artist NORIKO OKAKU in Barcelona in 2017. Following by the new engagement of a Japanese dancer Kaho Kogure based in Tokyo, TÓPOS took a further step and started creation with 3 dancers at The Saison Morishita Studio with support by The Saison Foundation, AIR artist residency program. In October, TÓPOS presented working progress show at UPLINK SHIBUYA in Tokyo, Kyoto Experiment Fringe, and KIITO Kobe.

For this special night in SuperDeluxe,3 dancers – Kaho Kogure, Pau Aran Gimeno, Junya Ishii – who came from the different background will present solo dance pieces, then perform TÓPOS working progress show “Wandering spirits”, choreographed by Pau Aran Gimeno, conception by Junya Ishii, music by Noriko Okaku.

In addition, for this special night in SuperDeluxe, cutting edge shorts films, which related to the issue of body and topography such as “Across the water” by Nao Yoshigai, and an animation “The Interpreter” by Noriko Okaku will be screened, before the dance performances start.

December 15th (Saturday) Open 18:00 / Start 18:45
Tickets: Advance ¥2,800 / Door ¥3,300 (plus drink)

PART I (starting 18:45 / about 45 minutes)
Short film screenings – Reflecting the Idea of Body and Topography
“Across the water” by Nao Yoshigai, Dance: Kaho Kogure (2017 | 08:53 | Japan, Lake Shikotsu)
“The Interpreter” by Noriko Okaku (2015 | 06:29 | UK. Derby)
“Horizon” by Daniel Szandtner, Dance: Junya Ishii
 (2008-2018 | 06:20 | Hungary, Hortobagy National Park)
“Erosion” by Junya Ishii (2017 | 05:25 | Spain, Bardenas Reales)
“Soramimi” by Daisy Dickinson & Julia Laird (2017 | 03:33 | UK / Japan)
“KOFA (Korean Film Archive) Trailer” by Kim Jong-Kwan (2017: 01:33 | Korea)
“Étude 5” by Pau Aran Gimeno (2017 | 08:12 | Italy, La Luna Dance Center)

PART II (starting 19:45 / about 45 minutes)
Kaho Kogure | Pau Aran Gimeno | Junya Ishii / Solo Dance x 3

PART III (starting 20:45 / about 30 minutes)
Topos: Work In Progress “Dancing with the wandering spirits”
Choreograph: Pau Aran Gimeno
Interpret: Kaho Kogure, Junya Ishii
Concept, Visual: Junya Ishii
Sound Design: Noriko Okaku
Light Design: Michinari Marui
Photograph: Mika Kitamura

“From where to where? That’s the fundamental issue of life. Where do we come from? Where are we going to? That’s the fundamental hint of the life.” Notes on life by Kiyoshi Miki (Japanese philosopher from The Kyoto School)

2017 in Barcelona. Ishii and Gimeno made conversation about dream, hope, and despair. Ishii researched the simple line and consciousness through the paintings of Joan Miro and objects made by Antoni Tàpies. He met an university student who researched the link of the philosophy between Kitaro Nishida. In 2018, Gimeno has been traveling around the world with Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch, and met Kogure who has been dancing independently in Tokyo. In September, 3 dancers began to collaborate at The Saison Morishita Studio. Gimeno took note precisely to collect the essence from the dialogue he had with Ishii. One day, Gimeno threw the keywords to the dancers from the note, such as “Struggle”, “Happiness, anger, sadness, ease”, “Ambivalence”, “Emotional scars”, “Water” and “Garden”… Noriko Okaku is a London based Japanese artist, who has been writing letters to Ishii since 2017. It is to report her new awareness of everyday life from a Japanese person living in Europe point of view. Her interest is to witness where is Topos project leading us to.

“Dancing with the wandering spirits” is a short piece choreograph by Pau Aran Gimeno. Kaho Kogure and Junya Ishii will interpret the sceneries, which emerged like automatism. Okaku recomposes the sound from TÓPOS work in progress from 15th September, Uplink Tokyo.

Photographs provided by Mika Kitamura
mikakitamura.com

TÓPOS

TÓPOS is a Japan-Spain international contemporary dance project which the artists share the process for imagining a positive future to create the place where the energy generated. The artists from different backgrounds from Asia and Europe are going to discover together to create dialogue, and find the way to live together to seek “common sense” in this unclear contemporary age. TÓPOS is an ongoing work-in-progress project started in Barcelona with Junya Ishii, Pau Aran Gimeno and Noriko Okaku in 2017, then Kaho Kogure enrolled to this project in Tokyo in 2018. TÓPOS seek the possibility to create new body language and movement, which is “flow” and constant changing from inside to outside. The project has been growing like the rhizome. TÓPOS takes further step collaborating with The Saison Foundation and Casa Asia and supported by The Spanish Embassy in Japan and the Agency for Cultural Affairs in Japan.

toposdance.info
instagram.com/topos_dance/
facebook.com/toposdance/
twitter.com/DanceTopos

Performers:

Kaho Kogure

Kaho Kogure is a dancer and choreographer born in 1989., Her dance embraces “meguru-meguru mono” it means “everything that comes around, goes and connects from one to another”. She has performed with Akira Kasai and among other numerous choreographers and dance groups. She also has joined tours internationally to Italy, Indonesia, Mexico and Lithuania. She started her career as a solo dancer after graduating from Japan College of Woman’s Physical Education. She has been choreographing and developing her repertoire such as ‘Namida no kyutai’ first solo work in 2012 ‘Haruka Erice’ in 2013, ‘MIMOSA’ and ‘Utopia’ in 2015. Her solo work has been expanded widely. She performs not only for theatre projects but also for films music videos and collaborations with musicians at their live show. She won the 2012 Session Best prize 2015. Yokohama Dance Collection EX2015 competition Rendition 1 Encouragement Prize and New Face Award of Contemporary Dance section from EI SUR Foundation 2017.
kogurekaho.com

Pau Aran Gimeno

Pau was born in Barcelona, Spain, in 1981. He began his professional path to dance through ballroom dancing where he reached international competition level in ten different styles. This led him to study dance in Barcelona, and at the Royal Conservatory in Madrid where his interest began with the classical ballet form and developed towards an interest in contemporary dance and contact improvisation. Following his studies, he continued to explore the form of dance in France and Germany before becoming a permanent performing member of Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch in 2005. In addition to performing with Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch, Pau currently teaches, conducts workshops, and participates in various artistic projects in Germany and abroad. His goal is to further develop his own movement language which he has been nurturing the last years in Germany, and to continue to reflect upon the ideas, inspirations, and influences from his colleagues, artists, and the masters that cross his path.
pauaran.com

Junya Ishii

Dancer and actor, currently based in Tokyo. Junya Ishii was born in Japan in 1983 and grew up in Mexico and Canada. He has been working across the fields of dance, theatre and film. His interest is to discover the state of consciousness and unconsciousness, state of being through the body and its perception. In 2009, he began working for Regional Creative Atelier Josef Nadj, Kanjiza, Serbia to dance for the pieces choreographed by Josef Nadj. As an actor, he works as leading role for “2045 Carnival Folklore” directed by Naoki Kato, which was premiered at Seattle International Film Festival in 2015, then started independent distribution company PLATAUX to organize the projects, such as “2045 Carnival Folklore live screening tour” in Europe. In 2017, he received a grant by Agency of cultural affairs, government of Japan “Program of Overseas Studies for upcoming artist” to study International relations at Casa Asia in Barcelona and to study Antoni Tapies’s works and Joan Miro’s works then produce TÓPOS. He believes in instinct, and have been practicing to write what he watched and thought. His dance is an extension of this self-practice.
junyaishii.com

Noriko Okaku

Born in Japan. Work/Live in London Noriko Okaku produces work in animated video, drawing, sculpture and audio/visual live performance. Her work in various media often retains a collage art element. She borrows, adopts, copies and recycles existing images to explore the diverse avenues of perception. Her work explores the eclecticism and mystery/strangeness underlying everyday objects and actions.
norikookaku.com

Short film screenings – Reflecting the Idea of Body and Topography

“Across the water” by Nao Yoshigai, Dance: Kaho Kogure (2017 | 08:53 | Japan, Lake Shikotsu)
“The Interpreter” by Noriko Okaku (2015 | 06:29 | UK. Derby)
“Horizon” by Daniel Szandtner, Dance: Junya Ishii
 (2008-2018 | 06:20 | Hungary, Hortobagy National Park)
“Erosion” by Junya Ishii (2017 | 05:25 | Spain, Bardenas Reales)
“Soramimi” by Daisy Dickinson & Julia Laird (2017 | 03:33 | UK / Japan)
“KOFA (Korean Film Archive) Trailer” by Kim Jong-Kwan (2017: 01:33 | Korea)
“Étude 5” by Pau Aran Gimeno (2017 | 08:12 | Italy, La Luna Dance Center)

Please see this page for more information about the short films.

Japan Spain Dance project TÓPOS
Organized by TÓPOS Dance / PLATAUX
Cooperation:  The Saison Foundation, Incline LLP, Colectivo La Perdición, Casa Asia
Supported by Embassy of Spain in Japan and the Agency for Cultural Affairs in Japan.