A dance on the excavation site of Sumpu Castle!? An exploration of the end of the body and the ideal imposed on a space where such finality occurs.

Groovy Grave is a new dance piece by NAKAMA Ayaka, a Kobe-based dancer active internationally. The work centers on the following themes: “the end of the body” and “the ideal imposed on a space where such finality occurs. ”
Staged at the excavation site of the base of Sumpu Castle keep, where it changed its shape continuously amidst the turbulence of the ever-changing times, such grand themes shall emerge from a dance that embodies a groovy space-time as a phenomenon. In addition to butoh dancer IMA Tenko and actor YAMADA Kota, this piece welcomes an ensemble of dancers selected from applicants. The very moment when their diverse physical expressions connect the past and present, the self and the Other—the bodies of the audiences, who are living the moment, shall together take roles in the phenomena unfolding on the stage.

Can we perform an all-standing style theater play in the city? Performers and audience become one to make a “festival.”

There are countless gods in Japan. They reside even in the stones by the side of a road and the smallest of flowers blooming between cracks in asphalt. An old matsu (pine) tree in a park is also a dwelling place for a god. But the matsu tree is treated poorly, so it hides inside a rock in the park. Then, the light of a taimastu (torch) gradually went out, which troubled the other gods greatly. So the gods start to sing, dance, and play music to matsu (wait) for the matsu pine tree god to appear. Based on the Japanese mythological tale of Amano Iwato, this is an “all-standing style theater ” that invites audiences to stand up and participate in and enjoy the performance featuring pantomime and rap music by ICHIGEKIYA.

A parading performance along the shopping street with dancers selected by open call while feeling the sounds of the city.

A familiar scenery starts to play the “landscape of sounds” in collaboration with each person’s body. The sound of daily life, someone’s laughter, the soothing sound of the wind, breathing, and heartbeat: all arise from and can be felt inside your body. Try listening attentively to many beautiful sounds that are yet to be recognized. I wish to express the landscape through my body, together with the music of the body that can only be heard here.

Go after the elusive creatures dancing and wandering in town!

A comical, thrilling, physical street performance in the air that children and adults can enjoy!
We’re all survivors struggling to live in a society filled with unusual incidents. This may not be a time for jokes, but we still don’t know what to do, and so we dance again this way and that.
We visited Shizuoka last year too, but we hardly remember where everything was. We lost the sense of the ground and the air, but no, we aren’t lost; we’re just waiting for you to find us. You’ll be lucky to see us, being as amazing as a four-leaf clover. Or else, we might want to make you keep thinking of us, like a fuzzball stuck at an unreachable corner.

A wordless performance of a story starting from a bench.

Set on a single bench at a street corner, this is a performance without dialogue, where events unfold with those who happen to be nearby.
Through these interactions, a story is born.
The familiar world looks just a little bit different.
We invite you to such a moment.

Juggling props changes the scenery: A story created together with the audience.

A girl is looking at the scenery. The scenery moves and keeps changing.
Let’s go out if you’re bored of everyday life.
The juggling props change in shape and carry words to gradually form the great rhythm of the scenery. Would you join us in becoming part of the rhythm and the scenery?

A story played by dancers using “naraka,” a piece of stereophonic sound equipment.

They say a child has unlimited potential, but is an adult’ potential finite?
Aren’t we drawing the line at our own potential?
Children who have potential for the future, and adults who are still smoldering with interest in such and such things.
Just watching the show is enjoyable, but taking on the challenge is easier than you might think, and the experience you gain from it is irreplaceable.
This film sends a positive message to people of all ages and genders.

Let’s parade to smooth out wrinkles of the world, with the wrinkle-smoothing tribe!

Shiwanova is a peace-loving people.
Today, they are still working to stretch the wrinkles of the world.
They trace the wrinkles of those nearby—and progress,
step by step,
while feeling the wind,
strolling,
or dancing.
When a wrinkle ceases to be a wrinkle, the Shiwanovas remain eager to appreciate what is left behind.
Wasshoi wasshoi, achoo.
Come and join us to experience Shiwanova.

A tour-style play that makes the city’s history appear in front of you.

MURATA Aoba is a playwright and director. He actively serves as a local walking tour guide and has created a project that fully integrates “the city” and “theater.” Drawing from the accumulated history of the streets, people, and buildings, the stories that have trickled down (Drip) are brought to life through theater (Drama), offering those present an experience that feels like taking a short trip (Trip).
This time, it’s the “Shichiken-chou stroll Edition!” Set on Shichikencho Street in Shizuoka City, we invite you to take a unique “T(D)rip” with us. This is a performance you can only experience at Strange Seed Shizuoka. Don’t miss it!

A circus performance where a juggler and puppeteer walk around the park with the audience.

A circus performance that unfolds in Sumpu Castle Park , where a juggler and puppeteer engage with the audience and take them around the park.
The entire park becomes the stage, where performers and the audience interact, enjoying new discoveries through the act of “picking up” and the objects they find. This is a new form of performance that is filled with the excitement of not knowing what will happen next.