“The Grasshopper and the Ants”
Unlock Dancing Plaza × Namstrops
This work is inspired by the bestselling Japanese book Batta wo Taoshini Afurika e (Going to Africa to Defeat the Grasshoppers) written by a researcher of grasshoppers.
Intrigued by the creature, the three members of namstrops delved deeper into the subject and knew that in Japan there are 445 species of grasshoppers belonging to the same family. They also found that katydid, which appear in Aesop’s fable The Ant and the Grasshopper, also is said to belong to one of them.
In the fable, which stresses the importance of preparing for the future, the grasshopper is told by the ant to dance through the winter, since it sang through the summer. However, Namstrops is a dance company that emphasizes thinking about things from an upside-down perspective. In this work, they reinterpret the fable as The Grasshopper and the Ants, with the hope of rediscovering how to live a joyful and blissful life, much like the cricket.
Namstrops (sportsman spelled backwards) is joined by Hong Kong-based dance company Unlock Dancing Plaza, to present a dance performance that can be enjoyed by adults and children alike.
（Sources from Toyooka Theater Festival website）
Showcase details
Date: 23.9.2024 (Mon)
Time: 2pm (Approx. 60 minutes)
Venue: YB fab, Yabu area
Remarks: Performed in Japanese only
Created, choreographed: namstrops x Unlock Dancing Plaza
Conception, Direction: Rumiko Takahashi (University of Miyazaki Visiting Professor／Dance Education)
Performers: Namstrops (Akifumi Toyofuku, Souhei Minowa, Takafumi Kodama) and Unlock Dancing Plaza (Ong Yong Lock、Paula Wong, Hoi-Ling Keung^)
Rehearsal assistant (Hong Kong): Wong Ting
Lighting: Shinichi Kudoh
Music: Genki Ohno
Video Production: Nishi Junnosuke
Costume, Set Design: Yuko Kabashima
Production: Miku Sakamoto, Kaoruko Sato, Sica Ho Tsz Kwan
^The ‘Arts Talents Internship Matching Programme’ is supported by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council
Planning and production: General Incorporated Association namstrops, Unlock Dancing Plaza
Supported by: Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (Tokyo)
Presented by: Toyooka Theater Festival Executive Committee
