The Quiet Shock of Dance Created by Mirai Moriyama and World-Renowned Choreographer Alan Lucien Øyen: The Acclaimed 'STILL LIFE,' which Swept Festivals Across Europe, Comes to its Creative Home, Japan, in June 2026.
World-renowned choreographer Alan Lucien Øyen's acclaimed dance work 'STILL LIFE,' created for performers Mirai Moriyama and Daniel Proietto, will tour Japan in June 2026. After a creation residency in Kobe, the piece, which explores the disconnection between humanity and nature, toured major European festivals to high praise. The Japan tour will have stops in Yokohama, Kobe, and Shizuoka, with the production collaborating with local choirs in each city.
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"A dance for thinking"
—The Guardian (UK)
"A faint hope in the midst of chaos"
—Göteborgs-Posten (Sweden)
In June 2026, Kobe Bunka Hall (designated manager: Kobe Citizens' Culture Promotion Foundation), in collaboration with Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse No. 1 and Granship Shizuoka Convention & Arts Center, will present 'STILL LIFE' by Alan Lucien Øyen, one of the most talked-about directors and choreographers in the contemporary performing arts world.
This dance piece was written by Øyen, who has provided works for the Pina Bausch Wuppertal Dance Theater and the Paris Opera Ballet and has won numerous international awards, for the exceptional performers Mirai Moriyama and Daniel Proietto. After an artist-in-residence creation period in Kobe in 2024, it had its world premiere. It then toured major festivals across Europe, including the Venice Biennale, receiving extremely high praise from local media as 'a fusion of astonishing physical expression and theatrical direction.' Now, it will finally embark on a long-awaited tour in Japan, the land of its creation.
【What is 'STILL LIFE'?】
A painting of waves swaying beyond the smoke. The voice of a chorus wearing masks reminiscent of branches and roots. The bodies and whispers of two dancers quietly make the space tremble.
'STILL LIFE' is a dance work that re-examines the relationship between humans and nature.
Direction, choreography, and text are by Norwegian artist Alan Lucien Øyen, a world-renowned choreographer who has also provided works for the Pina Bausch Wuppertal Dance Theater and the Paris Opera Ballet. The performers are Mirai Moriyama from Kobe and the internationally acclaimed Argentinian dancer Daniel Proietto. The stage, where Butoh-like physicality, minimal movements, silence, and whispers intersect, quietly shakes the audience's senses.
The title 'STILL LIFE' not only means a beautiful, unmoving landscape but also carries the implication of 'dying nature.' Living surrounded by a digital environment, have we lost our connection to nature and others without realizing it? This work quietly but surely poses that question.
This work was born from an artist-in-residence in Kobe in 2024 and received high acclaim across Europe, including at the Venice Biennale. For this Japan tour, local choirs from each region will also participate, creating the stage together with the dancers. A work that has taken flight to the world returns to its creative home, Japan. We hope you will experience the faint hope that flickers beyond the stillness at the theater.
【Artist Comments】
■ Alan Lucien Øyen (Direction, Choreography, Text)
We often forget that we are nature itself. Nature is not something outside of us. And yet, amidst technology and excessive information, are we not losing our connection not only with nature but also with ourselves?
'STILL LIFE' is a work about the disconnection between us and nature. The title means 'Nature Morte' (dead nature) in French. Nature exists like a frozen still life, and while we are alive, we are somehow paralyzed—we explore that feeling through dance, Butoh, and contemporary theater.
This work is for Mirai Moriyama and Daniel Proietto. Both are outstanding performers who have continuously sought new physical expressions, far exceeding the framework of contemporary dance. Their experiences cultivated in diverse fields—Kabuki, Butoh, contemporary theater, film, television—are the starting point for this work. Creating a place for a choreographic encounter between these two has been a long-held dream of mine.
I want to create with sincerity. I want to create a stage that does not deceive itself, using simple theatrical methods. The stage features backdrops of the sea and forest, creating an unadorned, analog space. On it stand two bodies, tools, and the human voice. Whispers, humming, breathing, gazes, touching—through the most fundamental human expressions, we attempt to reconnect with our 'poetic self.'
In 'STILL LIFE,' I want to confront both inner and outer nature. Re-examining our relationship with ourselves will eventually lead to reconnecting our relationships with others and this world—I want to explore that possibility within this work.
■ Mirai Moriyama (Performer)
One day in 2024. My beautiful friend and wonderful choreographer/director, Alan, quoted the land artist Andy Goldsworthy at the beginning of the proposal for this work, 'STILL LIFE'.
"We often forget that we are part of nature. Nature is not separate from us. So, when we say we have lost our connection with nature, it means we have lost our connection with ourselves."
It is said that the concepts of 'nature' in the West and the East are different. To be precise, 'nature' in English is not exactly the same as '自然' (shizen). However, isn't the disconnection from others, from nature, and from oneself a critical situation for all people living in this era?
【Profiles】
Direction, Choreography, Text: Alan Lucien Øyen
Alan Lucien Øyen is a leading Norwegian choreographer, playwright, and director. He is internationally acclaimed for his stage works that fuse dance and theater. After working as a dancer for the Norwegian national contemporary dance company 'Carte Blanche' and Amanda Miller's 'Pretty Ugly Dance Company,' he founded his own company, 'winter guests,' in 2006. In addition to serving as the house choreographer for the Norwegian National Ballet, he has provided works to some of the world's leading companies, including the Pina Bausch Wuppertal Dance Theater after her death and the Paris Opera Ballet. He has won awards such as the Hedda Award and the Wilhelmsen Opera and Ballet Prize. In recent years, he has also been engaged in collaborations with Japan, such as creating this work 'STILL LIFE' through an artist-in-residence in Kobe.
Performer: Mirai Moriyama
Born in Hyogo Prefecture in 1984. He studied various dance genres from the age of 5 and made his professional stage debut at 15. In 2013, as a Japan Cultural Envoy, he stayed in Israel for a year, based at the Inbal Pinto & Avshalom Pollak Dance Company and active in various European countries. Seeking 'physical expression that arises from relationships,' he is active both in Japan and internationally across different fields. As an actor, he has won numerous Japanese film awards. As a dancer, he received the 10th Japan Dance Forum Award. He performed the opening solo at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Since April 2022, he established Artist in Residence KOBE (AiRK) in Kobe City and is involved in its management. Post-Butoh school.
Performer: Daniel Proietto
Daniel Proietto was born in Argentina. He studied classical ballet at the school affiliated with the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires and began his professional career at the age of 16. After performing with the Chilean National Ballet, Teatro Argentino Ballet, and the Contemporary Ballet of the San Martín Theater, he was a principal dancer for the Norwegian national contemporary dance company 'Carte Blanche' from 2003 to 2006. In 2013, the Norwegian National Ballet created the new position of 'Guest Artist' for him. He won the UK Critics' Circle National Dance Award for Best Male Dancer. Since 2011, he has been studying Japanese dance (Nihon Buyo) and Kabuki under the Soke Fujima school. As a collaborator with Alan Lucien Øyen's 'winter guests' since its founding, he has appeared in and co-created many works, and recently played a central role in 'Antigone' (2025).
【Performance Outline】
Title: STILL LIFE
Performers: Mirai Moriyama, Daniel Proietto
Choir Performers:
Kodomo no Shiro Chorus (Yokohama)
Mixed Choir Hamoru KOBE (Kobe)
Aobakai Superior & Men's Choir (Shizuoka)
Staff:
Direction, Choreography, Text: Alan Lucien Øyen
Set and Costume Design: Aïda Vainieri, Alan Lucien Øyen
Music: Henrik Skram
Sound: Mattias Grønsdal
Lighting: Martin Flack
STILL LIFE Ⓒ 2024 winter guests / Alan Lucien Øyen
Running time: Approx. 70 minutes (no intermission), post-performance talk session
Planning, Production, and Invitation: Kobe Bunka Hall (designated manager: Kobe Citizens' Culture Promotion Foundation)
Production Cooperation: NPO DANCE BOX, Sunrise Promotion
【Tour Details】
■ Yokohama Performance
Dates: Saturday, June 13, 2026, 6:00 PM / Sunday, June 14, 2026, 3:00 PM
Venue: Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse No. 1, 3F Hall
General Ticket Sales: April 3 (Fri) 10:00 AM
Price (tax incl.): General ¥6,500 / U-25 & Dancer discount ¥4,000 / High school students & younger ¥2,000 / Same-day ticket ¥7,000 *All non-reserved seats, with entry numbers
Inquiries: Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse No. 1 [Yokohama Arts Foundation] 045-211-1515 (10:00 AM–6:00 PM)
Organizer: Yokohama Arts Foundation
■ Kobe Performance
Dates: Saturday, June 20 & Sunday, June 21, 2026, both days at 3:00 PM
Venue: Kobe Bunka Hall, Medium Hall
General Ticket Sales: April 3 (Fri) 10:00 AM
Price (tax incl.): General ¥5,500 / Kobe Discount (for residents/workers in the city) ¥5,000 / U25 (25 and under) ¥2,500 *No admission for preschool children
Performance Inquiries: Kobe Bunka Hall Playguide 078-351-3349 (10:00 AM–5:00 PM, closed Mondays *or the next weekday if Monday is a holiday)
Ticket Inquiries: Sunrise Promotion 0570-00-3337 (Weekdays 12:00 PM–3:00 PM *closed weekends & holidays)
Organizer: Kobe Bunka Hall (designated manager: Kobe Citizens' Culture Promotion Foundation)
Cooperation: Artist in Residence KOBE (AiRK)
【Related Event | Little Nordic Selection】
A mini-market with a Nordic atmosphere will appear in the theater lobby on the day of the performance. Introducing Nordic goods, baked sweets, coffee, and more. Enjoy a moment feeling the Nordic light in the early summer theater. (Scheduled vendors: OKAYU LABO, Kita no Isu to, and others)
■ Shizuoka Performance
Date: Friday, June 26, 2026, 7:00 PM
Venue: Granship Shizuoka Convention & Arts Center, Medium Hall - Daichi
General Ticket Sales: April 5 (Sun) 10:00 AM
Price (tax incl.): All reserved seats, General ¥6,000 / Children & Students ¥1,000
Inquiries: Granship Ticket Center 054-289-9000 (10:00 AM–6:00 PM / except closed days)
Organizers: Shizuoka Performing Arts Center, Shizuoka Prefecture
Supported by: Shizuoka Prefectural Board of Education
Planning Supervisor: Satoshi Miyagi