Movers Platform at Spring Forward 2022

Movers Platform is a platform curated by choreographer, dancer, and visual artist Hiroaki Umeda to propose next generations’ movement, dance and choreography values.

Each of the seven specially selected young artists from Japan, South Korea and Greece has a unique movement vocabulary influenced by their cultural and regional characteristics. Guiding them individually at a distance over months, Hiroaki weaves their dances together into a single event when they all meet at Aerowaves’ invitation for the first time in Elefsina. Movers Platform #1 and #2 were seen only in Japan, but this new inter-continental group of movers will also perform in Seoul in September at the PAMS (Performing Arts Market in Seoul).

Credits
Curation: Hiroaki Umeda
Dancers: Haris Hatziandreou (Greece), Evi Oikonomou (Greece), Sofia Pouchtou (Greece), Hyoung eun Oh (South Korea), SoMi Bae (South Korea), Ayumi Nitta (Japan) and Yuki Nakamura (Japan).
Project Coordinators: Suzuko Tanoiri, Soohye Jang, Frosni Trousa
Photo: Sugawara Kota
Photo: 菅原康太
Co-Produced by Connected A, S20
Supported by KAMS Connection

Artist

Hiroaki Umeda

Hiroaki Umeda is a choreographer and a multidisciplinary artist recognised as one of the leading figures of the Japanese avant-garde art scene. Since the launch of his company S20, his subtle yet violent dance pieces have toured around the world receiving audience and critical acclaim. His work is acknowledged for the highly holistic artistic methodology with strong digital background, which considers not only physical elements as dance, but also optical, sensorial and, above all, spatiotemporal components as part of the choreography. Based on his profound interest in choreographing time and space, Umeda has spread his talent not only as a choreographer and dancer, but also as a composer, lighting designer, scenographer and visual artist.

Drawing further from his now signature style of mixing digital imagery, minimal soundscape and extremely potent corporeality, Umeda’s solo works such as Holistic Strata (2011), split flow (2013) and Intensional Particle (2015) have transfixed the audience in major festivals and theatres worldwide.

In 2009, Umeda commenced his ten-year choreographic project ’Superkinesis’ working with dancers of distinct physical backgrounds. He explores kinetic languages by tuning into the subtle voices of the surrounding environment that only could be perceived by an acute sensory receptor called dancers. GötenborgsOperans Danskompani in Sweden commissioned Umeda’s choreography piece, Interfacial Scale (2013). His choreographic work Peripheral Stream (2014) was premiered at Théâtre Châtelet in 2014, commissioned by the L.A Dance Project lead by Benjamin Millepied.

In order to extend his interest in providing the audience with an unknown sensorial experience, Umeda has been working on a series of installations since 2010, which mainly focus on optical illusion and physical immersion. His string of works combining visual and physical sensation has earned him Prix Ars Electronica, Honorary Mention, in 2010.

In 2014, he started ‘Somatic Field Project’, aiming at nurturing young dancers as well as his own movement method ‘Kinetic Force Method’.