Swiss-Okinawa "KIZUNA" Project
Expressing the joy of co-creation with vitality on stage
On October 13 and 14, 2024, the art project “KIZUNA” was unveiled at the Garaman Hall of the Ginoza Cultural Center. This initiative showcases the grand narrative of life as portrayed by artists from Okinawa and Neuchâtel. What vision of a vitality-filled future does this ongoing project, initiated in 2021, inspire?
The “KIZUNA” project explores the interconnectedness of the earth, society, and the world through the theme of “Les Liens (links)”. Centered around contemporary dance, it narrates a grand story of life. Twelve artists, musicians, and dancers from Switzerland collaborated closely with local dancers, Eisa performers, and junior chorus participants during the creation period. This performance richly embodies the emotional connections “KIZUNA”, between the people of Switzerland and Okinawa.
This project, themed around “Kizuna,” co-created by artists from Switzerland and Okinawa, incorporates elements that provide insights into our reflections on a sustainable planet and environment. The audience appeared deeply impressed by this remarkable collaboration. The performers conveyed emotions and stories that transcended words through their bodies.
The “KIZUNA” project goes beyond mere performance, actively involving many local participants and fostering cultural exchange aimed at contemplating sustainable practices for our planet. We invite you to look forward to the project’s future developments!
Message from Melinda Stampfli, Director and Choreography
The Kizuna project began thanks to an unforgettable encounter with photographer Cedric Bregnard and musician Laurence Courvoisier, whose art touched me deeply and inspired the show "Les Liens". From this collaboration came the desire to explore further, to delve deeper into the message and the subject. Japan, and its culture that has linked Cedric Bregnard, Yuji Noguchi and me for years, became the common thread running through our project.Thanks to our meeting with Daniel López, a first creative residency took place in the
village of Ginoza last October, bringing us closer to the very essence of this project, and Kizuna was born. The encounters in Okinawa brought the artists closer together and created links beyond what I could have imagined, both artistically and humanly.This first residency was followed by other ones in Neuchâtel, Madrid, Milano and Okinawa again in October 2024 where we were able to realize a dream: to stage the premiere of Kizuna at the Garaman Hall in Ginoza, where the source of our inspiration lies.The first part of the show is a new version of "Les Liens" with Okinawan dancers, the
Nago junior chorus, Eisa drummers and the Shishimai (lion-dog). It is the result of my two weeks stay in Okinawa in August 2024, where I was able to work with them and adapt "Les Liens" to this version including only local performers, except for the two musicians who appear on stage.
About KIZUNA by Melinda Stampfli
To see in the Earth of the living the links with Heaven, and to feel them by putting our bodies and senses into movement. Open your eyes to the outside world, and use dance, the body, sight and hearing as bridges to the expression of your essence, and to see inside yourself.
The creative process integrates the audience, inviting them to take part in the collective gesture through the movement of the body and the black ink line. The encounter with nature, the traditions of the elders and the memory of the Okinawan land call us to connect with our uniqueness.
The new piece Kizuna draws its inspiration directly from the spellbinding beauty of the Japanese island of Okinawa. The spirit of nature is conveyed through a unique musical composition, enriched by recordings made directly in caves and other emblematic places on the island. This work resonates as a true tribute to the magnificence of being.
The three scenes in which the main character evolves evoking our human condition and connects us to the nourishing matrix of the earth: birth, life and metamorphosis.
The first scene depicts the cave, the safety of the depths, and speaks of the birth and construction of the human being. In the second scene, he sets off into active life, confronting the chaos of the outside world, the trials and temptations that try to take him away from his essence. He resists and finds the spark of light in the darkness, represented by the encounter with the main character in the third scene who will show him the quest of his journey. And so begins the freedom to be in one’s uniqueness, in love and in the celebration of life.
Kizuna performance
Date: October 14, 15, 2024
Venue: Garaman Hall of the Ginoza Cultural Center
Program
・Opening Act: Garaman Kids
・Part 1: “Les Liens” - Tradition and Family
In the pitch-black underground world, a cradle of life is woven from water and humus. The deeply rooted plateau protects natural heritage and nurtures family bonds.
- Ink Fish
- Milton
- Prelude (Voëtland)
- Voëtland
-The Front
・Part 2: “KIZUNA” - Encounters on the Path of Life
In a liminal world where the bark of memory peels away and the soul resonates like an echo, the vitality nurtured by nature envelops us, and the light of kintsugi illuminates new paths. Overcoming past wounds, we begin to weave our own stories. On stage, the Tree of “Life” is depicted, the sound of “Impression” plays, and the dance of “Memory” invites people into the world of forgotten memories.
Direction and Choreography: Melinda Stampfli
Performers:
From Switzerland: Thibault Desaules, Wittha Tonja, Aurélie Laubscher, Romina Volantini, Lilou gerber-Huguet, Pascale Ecklin
Okinawa Team:Tamaki Ballet Art Studio (Ruriko Uchima, Rikako Izumikawa, Saki Nakazato, Otoaki Miyamoto), Company Dream Art (Natsuko Matsukawa, Natsuki Uehara), Maidori Ballet Studio (Emika Toguchi, Maiko Toguchi), Kinjo Tomoko, Nago Junior Chorus, Creative Eisa LUCK, Garaman Kids
Scenic Design: Cédric Bregnard (Racines du Ciel)
Project Supervision & Music Direction: Yuji Noguchi (Castel Camerata)
Composition : Laurence Crevoisier
Visual, Video Mapping: Laurent Novac (z1 studio)
Costume: Luna Tsou (Taste of Moon, Milano Italy)
Production Coordinator: Daniel López
Photography & Flyer Design: Yuta Nakama
Technical Director & Production Supervisor: Tomoya Ogoshi
Sound & Lighting: Sound Design Onya
Supported by the Embassy of Switzerland in Japan
Collaboration: Tamaki Ballet Art Studio
This event is part of the Swiss Vitality Days 2024, celebrating the 160th anniversary of bilateral relations between Switzerland and Japan, and takes place in the framework of Vitality.Swiss, Switzerland’s public diplomacy program on the road to Expo 2025 Osaka – Kansai.
SPONSORSHIP SWISS VITALITY DAYS｜
Article’s cover:
Photo by Yuta Nakama