About the Event
This production brings together dance artists from the Philippines, Japan and Cambodia to create a version of the work especially for Manila audiences.
Junnosuke Tada, a renowned Japanese theatre maker, created RE/PLAY in 2011 for his theatre company, Tokyo Deathlock. It explores the intent and meaning of re-production through bodily repetition of physical movement. As a re-making of a theatrical production, this version in collaboration with Kyoto-based artist Kitamari, Tada replaces the actors with eight Asian and Japanese leading contemporary choreographer-dancers.
Using pop music, the performers dance until they collapse in exhaustion – and then they get up and do it again, each choreographer-dancer taking a turn at their own approach to the project. This controversial work has an endless structure that subverts the reason and meaning of dance and reveals the urgency of life and chaotic nature of contemporary society.
The first international collaboration was presented in Singapore in co-production with TheatreWorks in 2016, followed by a second collaboration in Cambodia in 2017. The Manila collaboration is co-presented by performance-maker Eisa Jocson with MNLLikha Arts Agency and contemporary performance company the Sipat Lawin Ensemble.
Alongside Eisa Jocson, the Filipino dance artists joining the Manila iteration of the performance are Irish Paul Mendoza, Carissa Adea and John Paul Ortenero. Narim Nam and Sophal Sor from Cambodia, and Kitamari and Sachi Masuda from Japan are joining the Filipino dancers for the Manila performance.
Co-production:
Sipat Lawin Ensemble, Offsite Dance Project, RE/PLAY Dance Edit Committee
Supported by:
The Japan Foundation Asia Center, Arts Council Tokyo (Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture)