Kyoto is going global in the world of dance this month, as the city's Monochrome Circus teams up with the Norwegian company Wee on "The Surprised Body Project."
Begun in 2005 as a workshop in Oslo led by Italian dancer, choreographer and cofounder of Wee, Francesco Scavetta, "The Surprised Body Project" had its world première in Buenos Aires in 2010. Since then, it has been presented successfully in Europe, Latin America and the Middle East — and this Kyoto production will be the first in Asia.
The initial contact between Monochrome Circus and Wee was through a mutal friend, but over the last two years their links have strengthened. In 2012, Scavetta held a workshop in Kyoto, and Monochrome Circus spent a month in Sweden in winter 2013, showcasing a piece at the Vitlycke Centre for performing arts in Tanumshede, where Scavetta is artistic director.