What we do

Cross / Transit

  • Organization : Office ALB
  • Section : None
  • Type of Grant Program : Long
  • Art Forms : Dance

Outline of the project

Long Term Grant project outline
Cross Transit is an international collaboration that took choreographer/dancer Akiko Kitamura and artists from Japan and other parts of Asia three years to create, from a showing of the work-in-progress to the final performances.
While exploring the relationship between arts and culture such as dance and music rooted in regions including Cambodia, Myanmar and India’s Manipur with the physical techniques, artistry, ceremonial aspects and music of ancient martial arts, the project was an attempt to further expand the vocabulary of dance to include an Asian perspective.

Year 1 project outline
Office ALB’s counterpart for this project was Amrita Performing Arts Center, an arts group based in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh. Founded for the purpose of preserving Cambodia’s traditional performing arts, its current focus is on energizing contemporary dance and promoting creative activities by a new generation of Cambodian artists.
In the first year, with the support of Amrita Performing Arts Center, project members researched traditional dance, music, spiritual rituals, and martial arts, and had the opportunity to meet various dancers.

Project members explored the possibilities for expression beyond the boundaries of“dance”in Cambodia, Myanmar and India. Through extended stays in these regions, members were able to absorb elements of local culture and ethnicity on a deeper level.

Research members: Akiko Kitamura (leader, choreographer/dancer),
Yasuhiro Morinaga (music research advisor), Hiroaki Yokoyama (musical director)
* As an interim report on research outcomes, members organized an independent work-in-progress production of “Cross Transit”that was not covered by this grant (March 30-31, 2016 at Chofu City Sengawa Theater, Chofu City, Tokyo).

Year 2 project outline
In July 2016, musician Hiroaki Yokoyama traveled to India to conduct research and make local sound recordings. In Tokyo, choreographer Akiko Kitamura led rehearsals and creation. From the end of August, she was joined by Cambodian dancer Chy Ratana, and at the beginning of September by fellow Cambodian dramaturg Kim Hak, and the Tokyo premiere was held.

Performances
September 29 – October 2, 2016
Venue: Theatre tram (Setagaya-ku, Tokyo)
* The group also performed the same work on September 22 of the same year at Matsumoto Performing Arts Center small hall (Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture), a performance that was not covered by this grant.

Year 3 project outline
Akiko Kitamura conducted field research from August 2017 in Indonesia and Thailand, as well as residence-based creation in Tokyo and Sado. In November, after collaboration with Amrita Performing Arts in Cambodia and creation under a local residency, the stage design was significantly revised, and the work subsequently performed at the Department of Performing Arts on November 16 and 17.
In January of the following year, Yokoyama conducted music research residencies and creation in Indonesia and Borneo.
In March, Mangangsana, Chy Ratana, and Luluk Ari were invited for the opening of rehearsals in Tokyo with all project members including Japanese artists.

The following activities were carried out as the culmination of Year 3. The Tokyo production was staged.

Performances
November 16-17, 2017
Venue: Department of Performing Arts (Phnom Penh/Cambodia)
March 28-30, 2018
Venue: Chofu City Sengawa Theater (Chofu City, Tokyo)
*In October a spin-off work of “Cross Transit” was presented at ROPPONGI ART NIGHT 2017, an activity not covered by this grant.

Profile

Akiko Kitamura (Title: Choreographer, dancer, associate professor at Shinshu University’s Faculty of Arts)

During her course of study at Waseda University, she went to Berlin under the Agency for Cultural Affairs Overseas Study Program in 1995. She presented commissioned pieces in 2001 at the Bates Dance Festival in the USA and in 2003 at the American Dance Festival in the USA. In 2001 one of her master pieces finks was created. Since then it has been staged in a number of cities, and in 2005 was awarded best dance work by the Montreal magazine Hour. In 2005 her commissioned work Ghostly Round for the Haus der Kulturen der Welt in Berlin received rave reviews in countries worldwide.
She also proactively engages in the choreography and performance of overseas works, such as at ACE dance and music (England, 2007 and 2011), and Art Zoyd (France, 2009 and 2010). In 2011 she began the international coproduction To Belong project with an Indonesian art organization, and stages a new piece every year in Jakarta, Tokyo, Kobe, Chino and Singapore. In 2014 at Dance New Air she presented To Belong/Suwung (3-5 October at the Aoyama enkei Theatre), and in December she succeeded in taking the production to Indonesia. In the same year, she received Best Performance award in the Indonesian magazine Tempo for choreography on the international co-production of Indonesian opera, Gandari Dance Opera (12 and 13 December 2014, Theater Jakarta). In fiscal 2013-2014 she was in charge of general production and coordination for the Agency for Cultural Affairs Program for the Promotion of Culture and Art at Shinshu University. In 2015 she received the Asian Cultural Council Japan’s Fellowship Grant to Individuals for the Japan-United States Arts Program.

Contact

Marie Takimoto
Production Manager
Office A/LB
Tel:+81-(0)3-5377-3272
E-mail:mariemarie1116@gmail.com