The Unknown
Dancer
in the Neighborhood

Concept:

This work was first made after a sad event in 2015, when a Japanese journalist was taken hostage and killed in Syria. Following this incident, people in Japan and across the world were touched by the strong and deep message of the performance. But now, after many years, that moment has begun to fade into memory. New problems, like a serious virus outbreak or yet another war, push distant memories away. We humans cannot stop time and we cannot stop being “the other” — someone different — to someone else. This feeling of “helplessness” makes some people smile and say, “That’s just how it is.” Yes, we know. It’s hard to change.

But maybe we can turn our quiet anger—anger at people forgetting, at not caring, at laughing—into dance. We need wild, strong dance performances that bring peace to the soul. This performance shows modern ways of expression — like using written words (something very normal for the digital-native generation), and one dancer playing many different people to create a whole town. It is both theater and dance. It is a very "now" performance, and we want to share it with the audience.