namstrops × Unlock Dancing Plaza ”Today is the youngest day of my life”

Toyooka Theater Festival 2025 Festival Produce

namstrops × Unlock Dancing Plaza

”Today is the youngest day of my life”

Created, Choreographed, and Performed by: namstrops × Unlock Dancing Plaza (Hong Kong)

This work is presented in two parts.

The first is a collaborative work between Namstrop and Seniors “Watashino koto wa dansu ni kiite [Ask dance about me]” .

The second part is a collaborative work between Unlocking Dance Plaza and Seniors “攞彩 Lo2 Coi2”

<Watashino koto wa dansu ni kiite [Ask dance about me]>

Here are some of the comments shared by seniors who participated in the workshop:

“Today was an amazing day. I will continue to face every day with a positive mindset. I feel like I discovered a side of myself I hadn’t known. I want to hold onto this power that keeps my body moving.”

“Dance, the heart, and the body are all connected. I want to see the glass as half full.”

We’re eager to hear the different comments that will emerge from people we’re meeting for the first time—including you, you, AND you!

We can’t do anything alone. But everything begins from being alone.

<攞彩 Lo2 Coi2>

“”さい”” (彩 Coi2) is most commonly understood as “”color,”” but in Cantonese, it carries richer meanings—such as luck, auspiciousness, or outstanding performance.

In traditional Chinese culture, many rituals and celebrations are tied to the concept of “”さい””, invoking blessings and good fortune. This choreography takes inspiration from ceremonial practices like drawing fortune sticks, spinning pinwheels, and fireworks, transforming them into bodily expressions and collaborative creations. By exploring the possibilities of movement and imagination through different bodies, we collectively craft a unique celebratory work that carries good luck.

We are looking for performers aged 60 and over (a little younger is also fine!) to join us in creating a performance together.

[Applications open: Tuesday, July 15]

*For those who can communicate in Japanese only.

【Area】Yabu

【Venue】YB fab

【Date and Time】Sep.21(Sun)14:00

【Performance Duration】Approx. 60 minutes

【Performance Language】Performed in Japanese only

【Performers】
namstrops（Akifumi Toyofuku、Souhei Minowa、Takafumi Kodama）
Unlock Dancing Plaza（Ong Yong Lock 、Andy Lee ）

【Staff】
Senior director：Rumiko Takahashi
Video Production：Nishi Junnosuke
Production：Miku Sakamoto, Kumiko Kushima
Interpreter：Naoya Aoki

【Accessibility】
・Wheelchairs accommodated
・Free entrance for aide
・Preschoolers are welcomed

If you require any of the following services, please contact the Toyooka Theater Festival Festival Center before purchasing tickets.
- Those who have a disability certificate and wish to be accompanied by an aide.
- Those who plan to attend the festival in a wheelchair.

【Credits】
Presented byYabu City, Toyooka Theater Festival Executive Committee,Japan Arts Council and Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan

namstrops
Founded in 2006, Namstrops sets out to create new values by “looking at things from upside down.” Including Sibiu International Theatre Festival in Romania, Namstrops has performed their original works in as many as 45 cities in 17 countries. Unlock Dancing Plaza, one of the leading dance companies in Hong Kong, has served as their creative partner since 2016. Namstrops was a finalist at the Yokohama Dance Collection three times, in 2008, 2011 and 2012. Its members have worked at the University of Miyazaki’s Dance Research Institute and obtained an MA in Education. With an academic career in “creative dance,” Namstrops conducts various workshops at schools and as part of corporate training programs. In March 2019, Namstrops opened the International Children and Youth Theater Miyazaki (which received a Kids Design Award in 2019). The venue serves as a gymnasium for nursery children during the day and a theater during the night and weekends. Namstrops is a non-profit general incorporated association.

Unlock Dancing Plaza
Unlock Dancing Plaza is one of the most forward-thinking and adventurous contemporary dance companies in Hong Kong and is currently supported by Hong Kong Arts Development Council. Determined to expand the possibilities of dance making, Unlock aspires to develop a diverse performing arts ecology. Emancipated from institutionalised dance aesthetics, we propose to redefine dance as a natural form of self-expression, honouring individuality and breaking free from the production-focused par for the course. In recent years, Unlock has made new attempts to conduct ‘Unlock Body Lab’ - a research series on dance and performances, initiate a ‘dance-to-be’ residency project, showcase platforms and cultural exchanges with overseas artists and launch the #danceless public participatory project and #DANCELESS complex.

https://toyooka-theaterfestival.jp/en/program/9914/