The Great Afternoon: the soft machine xxx
Teita Iwabuchi

Teita Iwabuchi developed the “ecstatic body theory,” an expressive methodology inspired by butoh, martial arts, and Lao Tzu, and his creative activities have been deeply influenced by the late Ko Murobushi’s butoh performances, which he continues to perform today. He began his research with the idea that “this body is a soft machine with a rich and precise mechanism that cannot yet be reproduced by modern technology. Using the concept of “space technology” proposed by Hong Kong-born philosopher Yuk Hui as a guide, he has unraveled “butoh,” “martial arts,” “ancient relics,” and “art from all ages and cultures,” etc., to see technology not as a mere tool but as “a way of relating to the world” in each culture, and to discover “technological diversity” instead of the single view of technology that covers the world. We will discover the “diversity of technology” from the single view of technology that covers the world. The “soft machines” that emerge from this body of work (local and localized!), where multiple technologies and sensations are intermingled, are “soft machines”. The dance of the “soft machines” that emerge from this body (local and localized!), where multiple technologies and senses are intermingled. It will be savage and elegant at the same time.

Credit

Direction, choreography, and performance: Teita Iwabuchi
Performances: Kogure Kaho Performed by Naoyuki Sakai
Dramaturg: Aoto Niwa (Dance Base Yokohama)
Music: Takashi Sugawa
Costumes: Kyoko Fujitani
Understudy: Otsuki Yu
Producer: Eri Karatsu (Aichi Prefectural Art Theater/Dance Base Yokohama)
Technical Director: Yoshinori Sekoguchi (Aichi Prefectural Art Theater)
Technical Director: Chikage Yuyama
Stage Manager: Hiroo Nakai (URAK)
Sound Design: Nakahara Raku (KARABINER inc.)
Lighting Design: Akiyo Kushida
Production: Marihide Takimoto

Premiere: November 2025 (Menicon Theatre Aoi) *Performing Arts Selection 2025 Festival Edition

Produced by: Dance Base Yokohama [SEGA SAMMY ARTS FOUNDATION]／“Wings”: International Dance Project by Dance Base Yokohama for Emerging Creators
Co-produced by: Dance Base Yokohama, Aichi Prefectural Art Theater [Aichi Arts Foundation]
Supported by: Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan, Japan Arts Council