TWO

Press

“[…] The production ‘TWO’ has a special story behind it: 30 years ago, the Japanese [dancers] Yumiko Yoshioka and Minako Seki caused a sensation when they presented their own version of the grotesque dance Butoh. After going separate ways for a long while, the two ladies became a duo again in their ‘autumn’ years. The piece was excellently received […].”
Cellesche Zeitung, 5 July 2018

Preview text

The charismatic Japanese choreographers Yumiko Yoshioka and Minako Seki met 30 years ago in Germany, where they became pioneers of Butoh dance. Focusing on expression rather than athleticism, aging is considered an absolute quality in Butoh. Though originally a male-dominated artform, Yoshioka and Seki made it their own and developed it further in their own spirit, to fuse virtuosity with their own rich experience. In 2017, Wolfgang A. Piontek initiated and staged the atmospherically dense piece “TWO”, based on the two Japanese choreographers’ life stories, at the Hanoverian theatre COMMEDIA FUTURA. To mark the theatre’s recent 30th anniversary, it is now presenting the dance production at the festival. A moving encounter between German and Japanese culture, “TWO” fuses the existential character of Butoh with European influences and so makes it shine in a brilliant contemporary light.

(approx. 70 mins.)

Watch a video on Youtube

cast & credits

Choreography/ Dance: Minako Seki, Yumiko Yoshioka
Idea/ Stage direction/ Scenography: Wolfgang A. Piontek
Dramaturgy/ Production management: Elena Polzer, Peter Piontek
Assistance: Tabea Below, Lara Strautmann
Music: Michio
Videos: Volker Schreiner
Costumes: Sabine Mech
Light design: Wolfgang Denker
Technical Assistant: Michael Liiv
Art Design: Ralf Mohr, Wolfgang A. Piontek
Photography: Ralf Mohr, Thilo Nass (poster)
Administration: Judith Elbeshausen, Deniz Maschmann

Production: COMMEDIA FUTURA

With the support of:
Landeshauptstadt Hannover, Kulturbüro/ Fonds Darstellende Künste, Berlin/ Niedersächsisches Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kultur, Hannover