The Japan Foundation - [announcement] The Japanese Artists to Perform in Veranos de la Villa, Madrid's largest culture and arts festival (2024)

July 8 2024

As part of its Japan Festival Support Program, the Japan Foundation (JF) will present performances and projects signed by three collectives of multi-talented artists in co-organization with Veranos de la Villa.
Veranos de la Villa, an annual festival organized by Madrid City Council’s Department of Culture, Tourism and Sport and designed to bring the best cultural offering to numerous spaces in the city throughout the summer, has been entertaining the residents and visitors from all over the world. This year, marking its 40th anniversary, Japan is invited as the guest country. In this occasion, the JF, in co-organization with Veranos de la Villa, will present three productions: contemporary dance performances by UMEDA Hiroaki + Somatic Field Project, art installation by 目 [mé], flamenco performances by ARTE Y SOLERA company together with Kabuki actor NAKAMURA Kazutaro.
As the whole city becomes lively during the festival, Madrid would be even more vibrant with new elements of Japanese culture thanks to the participation of inspiring artists.

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  Photo: S20
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  Photo: Hiroyuki Kawashima

Outline

UMEDA Hiroaki + Somatic Field Project

Date and Time

Wednesday, July 24 and Thursday, July 25, 2024, at 8:00 P.M. (Spain Time)

Venue

Centro Cultural Conde Duque - Teatro

Artists

UMEDA Hiroaki
Somatic Field Project (NAKAMURA Yuki, OTSUKA Ikumi, SUZUKI Yu, NAKAMURA Tomomi)

Title

UMEDA Hiroaki "assimilating"
Somatic Field Project "Moving State 1"

Ticket

15 EUR

Website

Veranos de la Villa official site

Credit

Organized by Veranos de la Villa, The Japan Foundation
In cooperation with S20

目 [mé]

Date and Time

In the week from Monday, August 12 to Sunday, August 18, 2024
Workshop: Sunday, August 11, 2024
Schedules may vary depending on the weather conditions.

Venue

Madrid

Artists

目 [mé]

Ticket

N/A

Website

Veranos de la Villa official site

Credit

Organized by Veranos de la Villa, The Japan Foundation
Project Creator 目 ［mé］

ARTE Y SOLERA

Date and Time

Wednesday, August 14 and Thursday, August 15, 2024, at 9:30 P.M. (Spain Time)

Venue

Centro Cultural Conde Duque - Patio Central

Artists

ARTE Y SOLERA (KAGITA Mayumi, SATO Hiroki), NAKAMURA Kazutaro and the others

Title

Arte, pasión y solera

Ticket

25 EUR

Website

Veranos de la Villa official site

Credit

Organized by Veranos de la Villa, The Japan Foundation
Co-organized by ARTE Y SOLERA
Sponsored by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

Profiles

UMEDA Hiroaki + Somatic Field Project

UMEDA Hiroaki

Photo: Aya TarumiSince 2002, UMEDA Hiroaki's choreography has been invited around the world including Chaillot National Theater in Paris, with performances in over 150 cities in 40 countries. He was commissioned from and choreographed for festivals and companies such as GötenborgsOperans Danskompani and L.A Dance Project. His work goes beyond dance and choreography, encompassing sound, video and lighting design. In recent years, he has also produced installations focusing on physical sensations. His installations have been presented in 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT, NTT InterCommunication Center [ICC] and many other international festivals around the world.
Umeda has been the resident choreographer of Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse No.1 for two years from 2022.
Official website

Somatic Field Project

Photo: Kota Sugawara Somatic Field Project is an initiative launched by choreographer UMEDA Hiroaki with the aim of nurturing young Japanese dancers and further developing his own movement methodology, the "Kinetic Force Method." The project engages in research and creative activities based on the robust physicality cultivated through training in this method.
Official Instagram

目 [mé]

Photo: Takehiro Goto 目 [mé] is a Japanese art team with three core members, artist KOJIN Haruka, director MINAMIGAWA Kenji, and Installer MASUI Hirofumi. 目 [mé] works on the realization of artworks that manipulate perceptions of the physicalworld. Their installations provoke awareness of the inherent unreliability and uncertainty in the world around us.
Official website

ARTE Y SOLERA

ARTE Y SOLERA

Since it was formed in 1998, ARTE Y SOLERA, the flamenco dance company made up of KAGITA Mayumi and SATO Hiroki, has dedicated itself to creating new and uniquely Japanese flamenco productions that honor the traditions and techniques of Spanish flamenco while incorporating Japanese culture and traditional performing arts.
In Japan, the artistry of its works has been met with high praise. The Agency for Cultural Affairs presented it with the Media Arts Festival Excellence Award in 2001 for "Flamenco Sonezaki" and the Media Arts Festival Award in 2004 for "Arte Y Solera Kanki." In 2023, it received the Dance Critics Society of Japan Award for "Koi no Homura."
Official website

NAKAMURA Kazutaro

NAKAMURA Kazutaro, born in 1990, is a Kabuki actor from Tokyo. He is the eldest son of NAKAMURA Ganjiro and grandson of SAKATA Tojuro the IVth. He made his debut as a child in January 1995, playing the role of Kintoki in a performance of "Komochi Yamanba" at the Osaka Nakaza Theater, under the name " NAKAMURA Kazutaro." In September 2014, he was given the name Tokuyo Azuma, succeeding to the position of 7th head of the Azuma School of the traditional Japanese dance. While well-versed in kabuki, primarily playing onnagata (female characters), in July 2020 he performed "ART Kabuki," a novel, streaming performance that combined kabuki and art. In June 2021, he played the part of Senpai in a theatrical performance of "The Night Is Short, Walk on Girl,"
Official website

Related Materials

• [announcement] The Japanese Artists to Perform in Veranos de la Villa, Madrid's largest culture and arts festival【PDF：931KB】

Related contents

• Hiroaki Umeda + Somatic Field Project, Contemporary Art Team 目 [mé], and ARTE Y SOLERA with Kabuki actor Kazutaro Nakamura to Perform in Veranos de la Villa, Madrid's largest culture and arts festival

Contact

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