New Dance Entertainment Play 'PASSION - Hokusai's Dream -' to Premiere This October! [Starring Yusuke Onuki, Reon Yuzuki, KELO]

A new dance entertainment play, 'PASSION - Hokusai's Dream -', which fuses dance, theater, and music, has been confirmed for performances in October 2026! Waves, brushes, and physical bodies will burst forth! Dance x Theater x Music One man who continued to chase his dreams through drawing—Katsushika Hokusai. His madness and passion are now unleashed on stage as a spectacular dance entertainment piece. Katsushika Hokusai, the artist who continues to captivate the world. However, this production does not portray Hokusai simply as a great historical figure. Why did he draw? Why did he go to such lengths to keep drawing? Even when misunderstood by everyone, even when failing repeatedly, he was a human being who kept holding the brush even in his old age. The play approaches his inexhaustible impulse to create—his 'PASSION'. Choreography and direction are handled by KAORIalive, a choreographer and director highly acclaimed both domestically and internationally. In a unique world of expression where the body itself becomes words, emotions, and landscapes, Hokusai's inner creative energy is unleashed into the space. Tsuneyasu Motoyoshi, widely active as a director, participates as co-director. He vividly brings to the surface the conflicts and passions hidden within the human mind, stereoscopically depicting the 'impulse to create' that pierces through Hokusai's life. Merging with KAORIalive's dynamic physical expressions, they will create a dense and powerful theatrical world unique to this production. The script is by Kiyomi Fujii, who has worked on numerous popular works and delicately yet dynamically portrays human passions and conflicts. Through Hokusai's life spanning nearly 90 years, this work illuminates the universal figure of a 'human possessed by creating'. The music is by Daisuke Mori, widely active as a singer-songwriter and composer. With rich musicality unbound by genre, he vividly colors the sceneries Hokusai saw, his heartbeat, and the moments of creation. And the cast features Yusuke Onuki, Reon Yuzuki, and KELO. Yusuke Onuki plays Katsushika Hokusai, Reon Yuzuki embodies the passion and ideals that drove Hokusai, and KELO takes on the role of society, common sense, and realistic values. Yusuke Onuki portrays Hokusai's life through dynamic physical expression. Reon Yuzuki embodies Hokusai's inner impulses with overwhelming presence and explosive energy. And KELO captivates the audience with one-of-a-kind physicality. By intersecting these three performers who continue to lead in their respective fields, Hokusai's inner world and creative energy will vividly rise up. This lineup is truly a miraculous collaboration that could only be realized in this production. The venue, Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse Building 1, 3F Hall, is a special theatrical space where the distance between the audience and performers is extremely close. The boundary between the stage and the audience melts away, inviting the audience not to just observe Hokusai's life, but into the vortex of his imagination. Waves swell, brushes dance, bodies leap. The theatrical space itself transforms as if it were inside Hokusai's head. The heat, breathing, and impulses born there are something that can never be experienced through video. This is not just a story depicting Hokusai. The audience themselves will experience Hokusai's 'PASSION'. Fusing dance, theater, and music, this is a new dance entertainment play that can only be created within the space of a theater. Period: October - November 2026 Venue: Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse Building 1, 3F Hall Organizer/Planning & Production: Horipro *Osaka performances also scheduled *Tokyo performance schedule and ticket sales information will be announced at a later date. Yusuke Onuki, Reon Yuzuki, KELO The Tokyo performances will run from October to November 2026 at the Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse Building 1, 3F Hall, with subsequent performances planned in Osaka. The Tokyo performance schedule and ticket sales information will be announced at a later date. ▼Click here for details on Horipro Stage membership https://horipro-stage.jp/member/ Staff & Cast Comments ■Kiyomi Fujii (Script) He is an artist full of mysteries. Why did he move more than 90 times in his life? Why did he change his name so many times? Why did he remain poor even after becoming a top-selling artist? Many researchers have formed hypotheses, but not everything is clear. However, as a note to myself, I feel that in this day and age, we demand clear explanations too much. I want to depict, through this person, an incomprehensible heat, an inexplicable human charm, and an inescapable desire to challenge. ■Daisuke Mori (Music) The spirit of inquiry and creativity that Katsushika Hokusai maintained throughout his life. And the way of life of 'drawing despite poverty' that sits back-to-back with them, is perhaps an ideal for many creators, including myself. In this production, I want to face Katsushika Hokusai's life with all my senses sharpened, and shape the sounds I hear from there without missing a beat. How will dance, theater, and music resonate together, and what kind of expression will be born? I will engage in the creation while looking forward to it myself. ■KAORIalive (Choreography/Direction) Passion might not be a power to achieve something, but rather a flame that drives the very act of living. Katsushika Hokusai continued to paint that flame throughout his life. The swell of waves, the flow of wind, the activities of people. In every brushstroke dwells an inexhaustible spirit of inquiry and passion for creation. By harboring that passion in the body, I hope to carefully depict on stage the beauty and strength of human life, and the radiance of a life that continues to burn. ■Tsuneyasu Motoyoshi (Co-direction) When I received this offer, I instinctively jumped at it, thinking, 'How fun!' The facets of a person named Katsushika Hokusai are elusive—no, there are simply too many to grasp. He painted pictures, composed poems, lived in the town of Edo, touched upon sexuality, and remained active throughout his 90-year lifespan. He was a mischievous person who adopted the pen name 'Gakyo Rojin Manji' (Old Man Mad About Painting) after turning 75. My heart dances to the 'charm' of Katsushika Hokusai. The final words he left in his life are, I believe, words I will continue to ponder for the rest of my life as someone working as a director. This production. I am truly grateful for the fate to create this work with such wonderful performers and creatives. I will do my best. ■Yusuke Onuki It has been a while since I've done a performance focusing on dance. And it's Katsushika Hokusai!? I myself don't know what it will turn out to be, but anyway, I just can't wait! I want to cherish the dense creative time with director/choreographer KAORIalive, co-director Tsuneyasu Motoyoshi, scriptwriter Kiyomi Fujii, music by Daisuke Mori, the wonderful performer Reon Yuzuki, and the wonderful dancer KELO, and I hope to see sights I have never seen before! Please look forward to it! Began dancing at age 7, a dancer/actor who dances across genres including ballet, jazz, street, acrobatics, and contemporary. Made his musical debut in 2011 with 'Romeo & Juliet'. Recent major stage appearances include 'Matilda', 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child', 'The Shakespeare of Tenpo Twelve Years', and 'American Psycho'. ■Reon Yuzuki Yusuke Onuki will be Katsushika Hokusai, and I will be the passion and ideals that drive Hokusai. When I received this offer, my very first thought was, 'How interesting!!' What can be done through physical expression? Dancing with Yusuke Onuki brings a sensation of souls bursting. This time, how to express a single person named Katsushika Hokusai. Lookin