“DADDA” A France-Japanese Contemporary Circus Co-Creation
Yokohama 2025 Edition
Setouchi Circus Factory
Inspired by Akutagawa’s The Spider’s Thread, this circus piece reveals the light and darkness within human nature
Setouchi Circus Factory—Japan's pioneer in contemporary circus with 14 years of site-specific creation—now brings its artistry to the theatre stage. Inspired by Ryunosuke Akutagawa's “The Spider's Thread,” this work delves into the essence of circus as an art of limits: gravity, centrifugal force, precarious balance, and circular motion. Through these physical expressions, it explores sin and salvation, heaven and hell, light and darkness, and the single thread that connects life. Who was the spider saved by Kandata, the condemned man? As good and evil swirl and collapse, the piece evokes the cosmic spiral of reincarnation. Moving between micro and macro, gravity and weightlessness, it disorients and dazzles. Natural materials—stone, wood, paper—long central to Setouchi's practice, are woven with traditional craft into a singular vision of “The Spider's Thread.”
Venue
- KAAT Kanagawa Arts Theatre Large Studio
- 281 Yamashita-cho, Naka-ku, Yokohama 231-0023
Date and Time
12.5 Fri 19:30 *Post-perfomance talk
12.6 Sat 13:00
12.6 Sat 18:30
12.7 Sun 14:00 *Post-perfomance talk
Running Time
60min
Language
Non-verbal Performance
Accessibility
12月6日13時からの回のみ、託児サービスを提供いたします。
Tickets
General: Adv. ¥4,000 / Door ¥4,500
Available at Peatix / Ticket Kanagawa
Artist Information
- Setouchi Circus Factory
Founded in 2012, Setouchi Circus Factory is recognized both in Japan and abroad as a pioneer of contemporary circus in the country. Advocating for “Circus Created with Place,” the company pursues singular works rooted in local landscapes and cultural heritage sites through site-specific creation and performance. It also collaborates with regional manufacturers—specializing in ironwork, woodworking, stone, and traditional washi paper—integrating natural materials and artisanal techniques into circus-making. From 2015 to 2019, it hosted Japan's first contemporary circus festival in Kagawa Prefecture. Since its early years, the company has actively engaged with global circus networks, becoming the first Asian member of the Europe-based CIRCOSTRADA (Paris HQ) in 2017. In 2018, it co-founded the CIRCUS ASIA NETWORK (CAN) with partners from seven countries across Asia and Oceania, serving as its secretariat. In 2023, it launched the MIRAI CIRCUS NETWORK (MICINET), Japan's first national contemporary circus network, together with five leading producers, and continues to serve as its coordinating office.
Staff, Cast and Credits
Direction: Michiko Tanaka Directing Advisor: Tomoya Kiriyama Production Support: Yuko Okumura Circus Technique: CIE BASINGA (France) – Jan Naets, Gaël Honegger Music: Yuta Sumiyoshi (Kodo) Performers / Co-Creating Circus Artists: Aki Yoshida, Shiori Yamamoto, Sumie Naga, Sago Circus Riggers: Kaori Tsujibayashi, Kento Yoshikawa Stage Manager: Takashi Kawachi Lighting: Go Ueda (RYU) Sound: Daisuke Hoshino (KAAT – Kanagawa Arts Theatre) Assistant Director: Masaharu Honda Costume: Koji Hamai Visual Arts Collaborator: Jean Lemonnier Publicity Design, Photography & Collage: Chie Yukigai Publicity Materials Production: tao Inc. Presented by: Setouchi Circus Factory Co-presented by: KAAT – Kanagawa Arts Theatre Supported by: Japan World Exposition 1970 Commemorative Fund, JLOX+ In cooperation with: Yamaichi Lumber Co., Ltd.; Okubo Enterprise Co., Ltd.; Stone Studio TATA & Akiho Tata; Fuseishi Stoneworks; Kashiki Paper Co., Ltd.
