1000 Cranes — Asian Silent Theater Festival
The Great Desire of the human heart flows over words... How to express this, how to present one's plea? The hand finds paper, and a message bird is made from a folded crane. Fold one, and you are an Artist – you enjoy the work done; fold a hundred, and you are a Master – strong in thoughts; fold a thousand, and you are a Seer – you feel the power of the human heart!
1000 Cranes Festival will take place from 8th of April to 13th of April, 2024, in Tallinn. World class dance and music will take over Viimsi Artium and theatres of Tallinn for six days. This time, you can see productions by Asian and Estonian performance artists in Viimsi Artium, Theatrum, STL and cinema Artis. The connecting elements of the festival are sense, movement, dance, and music. The Great Desire of the human heart washes over words… How to express it, how to make your request? A hand finds a paper; a folded crane becomes the messenger bird. Fold one and you are an Artist – you can enjoy the work that you have done; fold a hundred and you are a Master – strong of mind; fold a thousand and you are a Seer – you sense the power of the human heart! The name of the festival – 1000 Cranes – has its roots in a Japanese legend that created a custom to give origami birds to a bride or a new-born to symbolize a long and good life, and it also relates to the exquisite attention to detail in the famous Nobel-winning writer Yasunari Kawabata’s novel that carries the same title and embodies the perpetual wanderlust in the human heart. The festival will present performers from Singapore, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan while Estonia is represented in this year’s programme with the ballet “God and the Devil” by the creative team *birdname.
PheNoumenon《现·象》
Director and Choreographer: KUIK Swee Boon
Composer: Kent LEE
Sound System Designer: GUO Ningru
Sound Engineer: Joel FERNANDEZ
Lighting Designer: Adrian TAN
Costume & Body Art Designer: LOO An Ni
Performers: Billy KEOHAVONG, Klievert Jon MENDOZA, Haruka Leilani CHAN, CHANG En, JHOU Han-Wei, Carmelita Nuelle BUAY
T.H.E DANCE COMPANY
An immersive performance that utilizes unconventional staging configurations to activate the audience's every sense — sight, hearing, and touch. The artists have eschewed the fourth wall, choosing instead for the performers and viewers to be situated in the same area, on the same level.
In an era where the consequences of human actions plague the world, choreographer Kuik Swee Boon attempts to unravel the web of relations between human beings and the surroundings. One must first look within oneself to break away from uniform thought, and from cultures and systems hidden beneath the veil of wealth. Look around: peeling back the façade of contemporary society, what conclusions can we draw from the socio-political, technological and climate chaos that threaten to turn our lives upside down?
“Take a long, hard look around us. The chaos and distress in our world are singlehandedly caused by Man’s actions. At times, it feels like we are barely surviving in an age that is darker and more troubling than generations past. Even more so, we must fight to preserve the dignity of every individual being...in this moment, life seems especially bleak. Where is the respect, care and reflection? It seems that to be alive means to be constantly challenged to become wiser, and a better person. If we fail, our enthusiasm and compassion for life will have amounted to nothing. We need to resist the cruelties that life inflicts. This is why we exist. This is why we dance.”
– Kuik Swee Boon, 2019
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR TICKET-HOLDERS OF PHENOUMENON
Welcome Note
We look forward to welcoming you to the world of PheNoumenon. Please note that doors open 7 minutes before the show begins, and we encourage you to arrive early for the best experience of the show. Here are also some tips for your immersive encounter:
As soon as you enter, you will see several islands that have been marked out on the floor. During the show, feel free to walk around these islands, sit within an island, or move to another island if you wish.
If you’re outside an island at any point in time, please be mindful of your environment, look out for others, and give way if you need to. Remember that your choices may impact the experience of those around you.
Mobile phones and/or other devices must be on silent mode throughout the performance, and photography and videography are only allowed at the curtain call at the end of the performance.
We wish you an enjoyable experience.
Yours sincerely,
T.H.E Dance Company, Singapore
Show Synopsis
Look out, look carefully; what do you see?
PheNoumenon is a work by founding artistic director of Singapore’s T.H.E Dance Company—that examines the relationship between Man and the natural phenomena that surrounds it.
The free spirit tears away from hegemonic thinking—habits, cultures and systems which hide under the illusory cover of a modern, prosperous society. Look around, what lessons can be learnt from the socio-political, technological and climate chaos threatening to upend our entire lives?
Look in, look closely; what have we become?
Additional Information
To find out more about T.H.E Dance Company, visit www.the-dancecompany.com.
If you have watched PheNoumenon, it would be very much appreciated if you could spare 5 minutes of your time to provide us with your valuable feedback through this form. Thank you!
This tour is supported by the National Arts Council of Singapore.
The Life of HOKUSAI
Can obsession with art make us forget love?
"The Life of Hokusai" attempts to answer this question by exploring the intimate world of one of the world's most brilliant and tormented artists: Katsushika Hokusai.
Katsumi Sakakura (born in 1963 in Nagoya, Japan) originated the performing art “Geibu”, which expresses the unique “movement, rhythm, and spirituality” of Japanese traditional martial arts “Budo” as a composite art. He expresses honed Budo skills as “art”, and sends out the spirituality that resides in it as a “message” that solves contemporary problems.
Katsumi Sakakura
Hokusai saw himself as a bridge between heavenly and earthly powers. The embodiment of a dragon! He had nothing to fear until the sudden death of his wife... Despite this immense love, Hokusai was so absorbed in his art that he neglected the illness of Koto, his wife, who had always supported him with admirable devotion.
...one bad morning, Koto suddenly dropped dead, and from that day on, Hokusai was tormented by the memory of having neglected his beloved.
Katsushika Hokusai, Japan's world-renowned genius painter, is known overseas for his masterpiece, "Kanagawa Oki Namiura", which is called "The Great Wave" and is as famous as da Vinci's Mona Lisa. He is also the only Japanese person to be selected by LIFE magazine as one of the "100 Most Important People of the Last 1000 Years," along with Edison and Einstein. In "The Life of HOKUSAI," we will take a closer look at the inner life of Hokusai, the man who accomplished such a great feat.
Hokusai believed that he was a link between the energies of heaven and earth and that he was the incarnation of a dragon. He had nothing to fear. Except for the sudden death of his wife... He was so absorbed in what he wanted to do every day that he did not even say thank you to his wife, Koto, who had supported him so devotedly. However, the year after Hokusai recovered from his stroke, Koto suddenly died. In the end, she never heard his words of gratitude, "Thank you." He regretted her death. "What does it matter how much recognition I get for my paintings?" ; "How peacefully could I have sent my beloved loved ones away?" Hokusai put all of these thoughts and feelings into his masterpiece, "The Dragon over Fuji". What did Hokusai find there?...
Message from Katsumi Sakakura
I created this work "The Life of HOKUSAI" in 2020. Due to Covid-19 and the war that followed divided us from our loved ones, and the world has become chaotic with grief. We want to convey to people the question that is often lost in a chaotic world "What is really important to you right now?''.
Vibrating sky
Keiko Iguchi, Fumie Suzuki, Masami Sakaide
Internationally active avant-garde dance duo, Fumie Suzuki & Keiko Iguchi. 86B210’s work addresses the underside and doubts of living in modern society. We address this theme through choreographed works reflecting the fight to retain our human spirit and through improvisation revealing this struggle viscerally. 86B210’s dance presents strong contrasts, in which opposed or contradictory images are married.We compose our works by laying one image on another, as in photo collage, using various kinds of music, and pursue collaborative projects with artists in other fields.
86B210
If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration. (Nikola Tesla)
Thread, light, night, moon, point, root, dark, morning, wave. Do you hear it...my voice? Before meaning, do you feel the touch, the connection, the secure embrace? In your voice I awake, life rises. Someone dips into that stream and wets his throat. A joyful song echoes. Resonate. (Fumie Suzuki)
It is said that the body is a microcosm. I, you, society, nature, the universe ― all energy systems, driven by fine electronic oscillation. This resonance maintains the balance of the world. Motion and e(motion) modulated by physics. And from it spring works that in turn resonate with the world.Although each living person’s body will perish, the body’s energy is never destroyed. Science echoes the thoughts of Japanese Shintoism and teachings of Yoga in telling us that all energy survives in the universe. The energy embodied in people who once lived in lost old towns continues to resonate, interacting with the energy of the living. Energy flows seamlessly across and through religions, races, even time. In this way, as energy leads to rebirth and resonance, it may give us the power to change the world, by inspiring in us the power of will to desire a truly good world. To play beautiful harmony. In these chaotic times, it is more important than ever to attend to these lost feelings, to recognize this universal resonance.
Supported by Arts Council Tokyo
A Night of Short Performances
Throughout the evening, the audience will have the pleasure of enjoying three different performances: Sumove's "Dating Abuse," Kyoshiro Oshima's (Japan) solo "Silence is Azure Indignant," and Dongbin Lee's (South Korea) traditional mask dance, Bongsan Talchum.
Dating Abuse by Sumove
Experience the raw power of non-verbal storytelling in ," a gripping 17-minute dance piece by Korean National University of Arts alum and art therapy doctorate Park Su-yeol. Choreographed with visceral emotion and performed by the captivating Seo Jeong-bin and Ha Hyun-bong, this performance delves into the complex interplay between the psyche and physicality, challenging viewers to connect with the profound language of the body, inviting the audience to a deep reflection on the intimate connection between our inner experiences and outward expressions.
Silence is Azure Indignant by Kyoshiro Oshima
Choreographed from the poem collection "Autumn Eyes" by Jukichi Yagi (1898-1927). Through the flow of the Japanese four seasons and human life as seen in the poem, we will reconsider the cycle of life. Choreographer and Dancer: Kyoshiro Oshima / Composer: Mari Miyamoto
Bongsan Talchum by Dongbin Lee
Bongsan Talchum, a UNESCO World Intangible Cultural Heritage site Talchum, mask dance drama in the Republic of Korea, is a performing art that encompasses dance, music and theater where masked performers humorously explore social issues through dramatic combinations of dances, songs, movements, and dialogue accompanied by an ensemble of six to ten musicians. Talchum conveys its underlying appeal to universal equality and criticism of social hierarchy using caricatures of everyday characters. Talchum has been recognized as a symbol of Korea’s traditional performing arts and intangible cultural heritage reinforcing a sense of community and local cultural identities in the lives of the Korean people.
God and the Devil
Composers Timo Steiner and Sander Mölder
Director Teet Kask
Producer Tiiu Tamm
Animator Juho Lähdesmäki
Lighting Artist Margus Vaigur
On stage are Cätlin Mägi's bagpipe ensemble, Laura Põldvere, and dancers Kyoshiro Oshima, Maria Solei Järvet, Jevgeni Grib.
*birdname
Once lived two little boys, Devil and God: Devil dark, thin, hairy, and kind; God red-haired, ill-tempered, and spoiled chubby. What became of them as history unfolded? An allegorical story with a powerful dramatic arc about the parallel paths of good and evil begins with the childhood of Devil and God. God's teasing and rumors about Devil lead to revenge, disappointment in humanity, and the creation of Hell. However, the anger subsides, and as Heaven and Earth have collapsed in the meantime, Hell becomes overcrowded. They must seek a New World. And so they go. Devil with his wife at the forefront, humanity in a massive line behind, and God trailing last.
THE FATE OF HUMANITY
We sadly see that humanity is capable of ruining everything it gets its hands on. In this story, as both Earth, Heaven, and finally Hell fall, a new place for living and settling is found, another chance is given, but let's be honest, not for long... Humans remain humans.
MUSIC
Mare Kandre's story is rich in stimulating contrasts. There are intriguing characters and their unexpected developments, several musical and auditory hints: like an ominous silence in Heaven or the lone sound of a child's voice from the devastated land. The main musical challenge, however, isn't in Heaven, Earth, or Hell – we can more or less imagine their sounds. But how does that new world they are seeking sound? The musical soundscape is based on the tones of a bagpipe from folklore in many lands and the human voice.
DANCE
Themes of Heaven, Hell, and world creation have been explored in ballet for centuries. We can envision the graceful lines of classical ballet portraying hovering angels and the quick, contorted movements of infernal beings... But how does one move in a new World that God allows in their final hope?
VISUALS
The visual language of the performance is created with the help of AI by Finnish animator and director Juho Lähdesmäki.
The festival is supported by the dance studio program TantsuRUUM, which offers a supportive environment and meeting place for dance professionals. It is a collaboration and development platform for dance professionals, implemented by the Estonian Dance Agency in cooperation with Estonian dance artists.