International collaboration between the Dutch dance company INTRODANS, Tokyo’s LAND FES, and Kobe’s Sadamatsu-Hamada Ballet Company:
The intergenerational integrated dance piece “UNUM” World Premiere
As part of the official program of the Kingdom of the Netherlands at the Osaka Kansai Expo 2025, a new collaborative work by INTRODANS, LAND FES, and the Kobe-based Sadamatsu-Hamada Ballet Company will be premiered at the EXPO National Day Hall.
Adriaan Luteijn, choreographer who creates inclusive choreographic works for INTRODANS and companies and institutions worldwide, and Dai Matsuoka, artistic director of LAND FES, who has promoted similar activities in Tokyo, co-direct the new piece “UNUM,” a intergenerational integrated dance, together with Dutch and Japanese dancers in a cross-border collaboration.
Event Dates:
May 21(Wed) 18:00 at EXPO National Day Hall
Program: UNUM
May 24(Sat) 18:30 at Kobe Bunka Hall
Program: UNUM, Iungo, 6 Dances, Takademe, Cantata
May 25(Sun) 16:00 at Kobe Bunka Hall
Program: UNUM, Iungo
*Special arranged stage more accessible for people with disabilities
May 27(Tue) 19:30 at ROHM Theatre Kyoto
Program: UNUM, Iungo
May 28(Wed) 19:00 at ROHM Theatre Kyoto
Workshop by Adriaan Luteijn
Adriaan Luteijn
In 1998, Adriaan Luteijn ended his career as a dancer with INTRODANS and subsequently began choreographing for various dancers and dance companies, both within the Netherlands and abroad. Luteijn is also the Artistic Manager of INTRODANS Education and leads the INTRODANS Interactive program. This program offers interactive workshops where young people can creatively participate in dance, as well as performances of integrated dance, where people with disabilities and able-bodied individuals collaborate. It also includes classes and performances targeted at individuals with disabilities. All of Luteijn’s works are centered around the themes of human connection and diversity. His approach involves using the friction and clashes that occur during the creative process with dancers from diverse backgrounds to infuse the work with energy.
Awards:
2003 – Incentive Award from the Dansersfonds ’79
2008 – Kunstfactor Dance Oeuvre Award
2018 – Knight in the Order of Orange-Nassau
Dai Matsuoka
Butoh dancer and representative of the NPO LAND FES.
Since 2005, he has been a performer with Sankai Juku, appearing in major works such as “Kinkan Shonen”, “Utsushi”, “Kagemi”, “Tobari”, “ARC”, and “TOTEM.” In 2011, he founded LAND FES, launching various initiatives aimed at promoting an inclusive society through performing arts. Since 2018, he has led the “Scramble Dance Project,” a project that fosters collaborative dance creation regardless of disabilities. He has also worked extensively with international artists, performing in “Falling Out” by New York-based theater company Phantom Limb Company and “Houses of Zodiac” by composer Paola Prestini. Additionally, he served as a curator for Tokyo Tokyo FESTIVAL Special 13 “Tokyo Real Underground.”
INTRODANS was founded in 1971 by Ton Wiggers. It is known as one of the three leading dance companies in the Netherlands. The company captivates audiences both domestically and internationally with a wide range of works, from beloved ballet repertories to contemporary dance by cutting-edge choreographers, as well as inclusive dance involving people with disabilities and the elderly.
NPO LAND FES
Founded in 2011, the organization promotes an inclusive society through performing arts. Its initiatives include the “Scramble Dance Project,” which fosters collaborative dance creation regardless of disabilities, and “TOKYO ACCESSIBLE DANCE,” which introduces inclusive dance from around the world.
Sadamatsu – Hamada Ballet Company
In March 1965, the company was founded in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, with Tohru Sadamatsu as the director and Yoko Hamada as the deputy director. From its inception, it has based its performances on classical ballet, incorporating both traditional ballet and contemporary works as the core of its activities. The company has also been actively engaged in ballet outreach, having performed more than 700 school performances. It presents programs that allow people of all ages, from children to adults, to enjoy ballet. The company has received numerous awards, including the Grand Prize at the Agency for Cultural Affairs Arts Festival and the Kobe City Distinguished Service Award.
“UNUM”
Intergenerational Co-Creation Between Dancers and Their Blood-Related Families
The new production “UNUM” is not only a collaboration between Dutch and Japanese dancers but also a work that focuses on intergenerational exchange and creativity through dance. This piece features dancers with diverse physical characteristics performing alongside their blood-related family members (either a parent or a child). By addressing significant social themes such as aging societies, the piece invites audiences to reflect on how we can achieve an inclusive society.
INTRODANS and LAND FES have long been engaged in promoting inclusive dance, a form of dance that fosters empowerment and social inclusion. Both organizations have been actively creating works in their respective countries, collaborating with people with disabilities or the elderly.
The co-directors and choreographers, Adriaan Luteijn and Dai Matsuoka, share a common artistic vision: they are both captivated by the beauty of human diversity and have been creating works that integrate professional dancers with dance partners from diverse backgrounds.
To be premiered at Osaka Kansai Expo 2025, “UNUM” brings together Dutch and Japanese creators under the co-direction of Luteijn and Matsuoka. Through this production, they aim to share with global audiences the transformative power of dance and the profound value of intergenerational co-creation.
Choreography and Direction: Adriaan Luteijn, Dai Matsuoka
Dramaturg: Yurika Kuremiya
Music: Naoyuki Takeda
Dancers(Parent – Child):
Reynaldo Villalon – Angelica Villalon(INTRODANS)
Anne van Drunick – Mark van Drunick(INTRODANS)
Kenta Kambara – Shiori Kambara
Lisa Goto – Shunsei Goto(Sadamatsu – Hamada Ballet Company)
Toyoko Morita – Kazuyo Morita
Naoki Yamamoto – Koumi Yamamoto(Sadamatsu – Hamada Ballet Company)
“Iungo”
Direction & Choreography: Adriaan Luteijn
Dancers: Yoko Izumi, Nanami Katayama, Llon Kawai, Matsuyoshi Koiso, Kaho Kogure, Naoya Sakata, Masahiro Nomura, Kazuyo Morita
The Tokyo version of “Iungo,” choreographed by Adriaan Luteijn, was created and premiered in Tokyo in January 2024 as a first collaboration between LAND FES and INTRODANS. “Iungo” is a Latin word meaning “to connect.” This piece was choreographed with the intention of bringing together 8 dancers from diverse backgrounds, including individuals with disabilities and those with experiences of homelessness.
For over 20 years, Luteijn has been developing a choreographic approach at INTRODANS called “Encounters,” which unites classically trained ballet and modern dancers with performers from vastly different origins. Through this approach, he continues to create innovative works that celebrate diversity and human connection.
Staff
Stage Manager: Daijiro Kawakami
Lighting Designer: Kazuya Yoshida
Sound Designer: Mina Hayashi
Costume Designer: Rie Kita
Videography: Daichi Oitate, Sou Fukuoka
Stage Set Designer: Daijiro Kawakami
Producer: Yusuke Tsutsumi(Sadamatsu – Hamada Ballet Company), Dai Matsuoka(LAND FES)
Production Management: LAND FES, Sadamatsu – Hamada Ballet Company
Visual Design: Kei Sumiya(Su-)
Cooperation : Mia Tomano
Hosted by NPO LAND FES, Sadamatsu – Hamada Ballet Company, INTRODANS, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
