Dance Company Lasta: Naraku 奈落 (Abyss)

(This is a past event and is no longer running)

STEP INTO A DREAMWORLD WHERE DANGER AND DESIRE COLLIDE

From Yoshimitsu Kushida and Dance Company Lasta, one of the foremost influences in contemporary Japanese dance for over a decade, Naraku is a visceral journey into a man’s psyche, where desire, ego, and obsession clash with electrifying intensity.

Internationally acclaimed choreographer and dancer Yoshimitsu Kushida plunges the audience into a surreal dreamscape where reality and fantasy intertwine.

A man sits alone, haunted by a mysterious presence. What begins as attraction soon becomes an intoxicating force that draws out his possessiveness, jealousy, and need for control. As his dream self battles his real self, his fantasies intensify until he reaches the edge of the abyss. Strange and compelling figures appear, tempting, guiding, and ultimately pulling him back from the void.

“Reality and fantasy are like two mirrors, reflecting each other and easily transcending the boundaries between them. The question is how to return from the fictional world to the real world, and how to connect the two.” – Yoshimitsu Kushida

Kushida’s choreography – erotic, beautiful and grotesque – embodies the shadow self that lurks beneath his civilised veneer.

First staged in Yokohama in 2020 and later adapted into an award-winning film, Naraku has been acclaimed across European art-film festivals in Paris, Venice, London, and Athens.

Founded in 2013, Dance Company Lasta is one of Tokyo’s most daring contemporary ensembles, creating emotionally potent, aesthetically striking performances. Under Kushida’s direction, the company has grown into an internationally acclaimed contemporary troupe, deeply committed to creating unforgettable works that resonate long after the performance ends.

Cast and Creatives

Artistic Director
Yoshimitsu Kushida

Dancers
Satoshi Nakagawa, Miwa Motojima, Yumika Yasuoka, Mana Tazaki, Riku Ogawa, Aoi Okamoto

Composer
Motoi Matsuda

Costume Design
hitoha.nasu, Grelot Arbre Co.,Ltd.

London Lighting Design
Yoshimitsu Koshida and Ros Chase

Production Manager
Kumiko Yamamoto

Understudy
Azuri Kawamura

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