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Nibroll is is performing in Malaysia for the very first time, and it will mark the first international presentation of “see/saw” to be staged outside of Japan. The show will be held together with the local dancers who will be auditioned to join in KL and Penang. The great earthquake of 11th March 2011 changed life for many people in Japan; Nibroll, one of the top contemporary dance companies in Japan responded to the tragedy with their latest work “see/saw”. Its theme is straight: life and death. The work, which premiered in Yokohama in 2012 shook numerous audience and artist minds, received extremely high responses, filling a one-month long show full house.

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Choreographer : Mikuni Yanaihara
Visual Director : Keisuke Takahashi／Sound Director : SKANK／Set Designer :Takuya Kamiike
Costume Designer : Takayuki Suzuki／Lighiting Designer : Kei Ito／Stage Manager : Koro Suzuki
Performers : Emi Oyama, Akina Kinukawa, Ayako Yamashita, Maki Kurita

CONCEPT of “ see / saw”
It appears that throughout the world people make an offering of flowers when a person has died, regardless of religion. Why flowers for the dead? This piece began from this simple question. It seems like a person's death is linked to those left living by a series of scenes. Perhaps the flowers are a symbol of those scenes.

The title of the piece is “see/saw.” It's something that probably everyone has played with at least once during their childhood. The word is combination of past and present tense gives rise to a variety of images. What was it that we saw as it creaked repeatedly carrying you up and down? And who was sitting at the other end? If one were to compare it to a seesaw, depending on how high or low, heavy or light, and the speed, people come to learn of various things, etch them into their memory, and become subjective about their life and death.

If one were on a seesaw, can you imagine who's on the other end? Is it you, or someone else? The moment a person offers a flower, he senses the distance to those who passed away, up till that point, in the future, and as of that moment. At the same time with a premonition of their own death, think about how they can how to view their life and death subjectively.

This piece is about memories but it's a compilation of various people's memory fragments.
See” and “saw,” and the scenery in between.

ARTIST PROFILE

Mikuni Yanaihara – Choreographer, Director, Playwright, and Dancer Leader and founder of Nibroll.
A dance major at university, she received various awards while still in school such as the NHK Award. Her unique choreography which uses daily movements as motifs to express the emptiness and threats of today has been well received both in Japan and overseas, and described as one of the few choreographers that grapples with the human body. With the Mikuni Yanaihara Project, she has taken on theatre plays as her new field of work, and is busy with performances throughout the world encompassing various genres, with Nibroll and also through collaborations with numerous artists.

Keisuke Takahashi – Visual Artist
Takahashi is visual director for Nibroll Company, an interdisciplinary arts collective. Nibroll Company has created many video and performance pieces and has participated in arts festivals throughout Japan and the world. Takahashi, as a solo artist, has also created many visual installations and his work has been presented in China, Italy and throughout the world. He received the MAM Contemporary Award from Mori Art Museum in 2004 as well as the Committee Recommendation Award from Japan Media Arts Festival in 2006. He also creates many TV and print ads for companies such as Adidas and FIFA, and produces many music videos as well.

SKANK – Composer, Musician
SKANK joined Nibroll in 2005. Active also as a solo artist, and with his own unit “MEXI”, he has had music sessions with artists of various genres such as musicians, fine artists, and photographers mainly cities, and does not restraining himself to a particular format. He has also provided music and performed for various stage performances, including the YUBIWA hotel's “Kozui – massive water”, which he has participated as a zombie of himself since 2009. Recently he has been expanding his field of work through collaboration with artist from different genre such as the Project Circulation, project to work with challenged people (this was a participating program for the ABLE ART JAPAN), and “words factory”, a collaboration with fine-art artists and animators.

Takuya Kamiike – Set designer, Painter
Kamiike is a fine-art artist residing in Kagawa prefecture, Japan. After graduating high school, he began stage-set design and now creates artworks based on these skills and experience. He creates stage designs from an angle that's opposite to the conventional approach, but based on two concepts; “inevitable passage of time” and coincidental act of “picking up”, both beyond human control and relies on contingency. He also produces two-dimensional works and installations using the same concepts. His recent prominent works includes: set design for “Niwa Mitaina Mono” by Zan Yamashita, and installation work for the Takamatsu Contemporary Art Annual vol.10 at the Takamatsu City Museum of Art.

DANCER PROFILE

Emi Oyama - Dancer
Born in Hiroshima prefecture, Emi began rhythmic gymnastics at 8, contemporary dance and ballet from 18, and participated in works by Shinji Nakamura and Kawano Mako as a dancer. She has been participated in Mikuni Yanaihara’s dance performances since 2010. She was placed 3rd in the Senior Solo Dancer Division of the Yokohama Competition in 2005.

Akina Kinukawa – Dancer
From Ishikawa prefecture, Akina began classic ballet and modern dance at 5. She had moved to Tokyo to major dance performance at the Japan Women’s College of Physical Education. She currently performs in various projects while teaching dance at high school.

Ayako Yamashita – Dancer
After graduating J. F. Oberlin University in Japan, Ayako joined the Glorious Future by Kim Itoh. She had performed in numerous works choreographed by Japan’s leading artists such as Teita Iwabuchi, Momoko Shiraga, Maki Tabata, and Mikuni Yanaihara. She had started her own company Saradara in 2011, and participated in Summer Festival Pan by Komaba Agora Theatre, and Dance Impact Vol.3 by Kichijoji Theatre. She had performed her solo twice at DANCE/NEST and DANCE/NEST more at RAFT. With her thick bone and robust muscle, Ayako challenges dance every day.

Maki Kurita – Dancer, Choreographer
Maki started dance at high school and graduated from Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences. She has started producing her own works since 2010, and had been selected to participate in BankART Artist in Residence2010 and CONNECT vol.4, competition for emerging artist by Osaka City Art Complex. Apart from her solo, she has been expanding her career by performing with more established company such as Nibroll.