Aichi Arts Center Performing Arts Selection 2025 Festival Edition

Aichi Arts Center (Aichi Prefectural Art Theater) and Dance Base Yokohama present Performing Arts Selection 2025 Festival Edition, an annual performance programme running since 2021 under the artistic direction of Eri Karatsu (Artistic Director of Aichi Prefectural Art Theater and Dance Base Yokohama). The series showcases new works by Japanese artists developed through residencies at Dance Base Yokohama – a dedicated space for dance artists in Japan -, which then premiere at Aichi Prefectural Art Theater. By embracing the term performing art, the series welcomes all sorts of movement expression, with a particular emphasis on choreographic works that push the boundaries of dance and movement.  

This year’s edition has expanded into a four-day festival spanning multiple venues in central Nagoya, Japan. Running from 30 Oct – 2 Nov, the festival will present six world premieres by acclaimed Japanese artists: Conan Amok, Ayaka Ono Akira Nakazawa Spacenotblank, Ruri Mito, Mariko Kakizaki, Teita Iwabuchi, and Moto Takahashi. 

The diverse programme encompasses a rich spectrum of movement styles—from butoh to hip hop—performance genres—from children’s theatre to live musical collaborations—and thematic explorations—from Japanese ghost stories to adaptations of Naoya Shiga’s celebrated novel At Kinosaki. These works collectively reflect the experience of contemporary life in Japan. 

The artists are supported through two dedicated programmes: the Constellation project led by Aichi Arts Center (Aichi Prefectural Art Theater) and the Wings project led by Dance Base Yokohama. Both initiatives are made possible through multi-year funding from the Japan Creator Support Fund, designed to support the creation of new work and facilitate international touring opportunities. 

After the premiere in Nagoya, the works will be presented at the Yokohama International Performing Arts Meeting (YPAM) in Dec 2025.  

Performing Arts Selection 2025 Festival Edition 
Website: https://dancebase.yokohama/en/event_post/performing-arts-selection-2025 
Constellation project: https://aichi-constellation.com/en 
Wings project: https://dancebase.yokohama/en/wings 

Works 

Ruri Mito (Photo credit: Naoshi HATORI)

Ruri Mito “Michiru – Brimming” < Constellation > 
Date: 30 Oct 
Venue: Aichi Prefectural Art Theater, Large Rehearsal Room 
Aichi Prefectural Art Theater Dance Artist Ruri Mito creates a poetic, contemplative work that captures both the delicacy and strength of the human form. Audiences will witness this emotional journey unfold against live clavichord performance. 

Conan Amok “R/evolution(s)” < Wings > 
Date: 31 Oct – 1 Nov  
Venue: Aichi Prefectural Art Theater, Mini Theater 
Former Dairakudakan dancer Conan Amok builds upon butoh foundations while collaborating with artists and dancers from diverse backgrounds. R/evolution(s) exposes the rigor, tension, and transformative power of the human body. 

Ayaka Ono Akira Nakazawa Spacenotblank “Dance Piece No. 3: Naoya Shiga ‘At Kinosaki’” < Wings > 
Date: 31 Oct – 1 Nov  
Venue: Aichi Prefectural Art Theater, Mini Theater 
This conceptual work draws inspiration from Naoya Shiga’s renowned novel At Kinosaki, tracing both the author’s background and narrative threads to create a distinctly Spacenotblank expression.  

Mariko Kakizaki “hopee” < Wings > 
Date: 1 Nov – 2 Nov  
Venue: Aichi Prefectural Art Theater, Medium Rehearsal Room 
Drawing from her experience with Batsheva Dance Company ensemble and L-E-V Sharon Eyal|Gai Behar, combined with her personal journey as a mother, Mariko Kakizaki creates a　rigorous dance work that is also suitable for family audiences. 

Teita IWABUCHI (Photo credit: Hideto Maezawa)

Teita Iwabuchi “The Great Afternoon: the soft machine xxx” < Wings > 
Date: 1 Nov – 2 Nov  
Venue: Menicon Theater Aoi 
Contemporary butoh artist Teita Iwabuchi references philosopher Yuk Hui’s “Art and Cosmotechnics” to examine the human body as a “soft machine” capable of complex organisation in this thought-provoking new work. 

Moto TAKAHASHI_MWMW IKOMIKI（2024) (Photo credit: Sugawara Kota)

Moto Takahashi “Faintly Here” < Wings > 
Date: 1 Nov – 2 Nov  
Venue: Menicon Theater Aoi 
Following a successful US tour in January, Moto Takahashi returns with new work that maximises her background in hip hop and classical ballet. Faintly Here draws upon Japanese folkloric ghost stories, contemplating presences that exist beyond the visible and tangible.