As part of Japan-Britain Contemporary Theatre Exchange, I hosted curator, dramaturg and dance research Yurika Kuremiya who gave a talk.

Embodied Expression: A Journey Through Japanese Performance Practices

In this talk, Yurika Kuremiya will trace the evolution of Japan’s postwar performance scene, focusing on the body as a central element. We will explore the work of artists who pushed the boundaries of dance, theater, and visual art, and who at times moved beyond traditional venues to experiment in the streets and public spaces. In the 1960s, as Japan underwent rapid urban development and economic growth, dancers, visual artists, musicians, and writers gathered and responded to the shifting social and political landscape, creating a swirl of unnameable expressions. Although these movements seemed to lose momentum on the surface, they continued to flow beneath, like an underground stream, subtly shaping contemporary performance practices. By highlighting groundbreaking performances from this era and beyond, she will discuss how these artists engaged with society and developed innovative methods of expression, reshaping the role of the body in contemporary art and performing arts.

Yurika Kuremiya is a Tokyo-based art coordinator, dramaturg, and dance critic. She holds master’s degrees in art from Université Paris 8 and in literature from Waseda University, where she also completed all doctoral coursework at the Graduate School of Letters, Arts, and Sciences. In addition to writing performance reviews and essays for a range of domestic and international publications, she has contributed as a coordinator and dramaturg to numerous performances, exhibitions, and festivals. Her recent projects include Newcomer "H" Sokerissa!'s Festival of the Body on the Road H!, Takao Kawaguchi's Rosentanz – Critique of Pure Sexualization, LAND FES's TOKYO DANCE AR, and the web magazine YDC Magazine for Yokohama Dance Collection. https://yurikakuremiya.mystrikingly.com/