Yokohama Arts Foundation The 30th annual international performing arts platform, “Yokohama Performing Arts Meeting 2025” (YPAM2025), will be held from November 28th

[Yokohama Arts Foundation] The 30th International Performing Arts Platform “Yokohama Performing Arts Meeting 2025” (YPAM2025) will be held from November 28th. ​ Image
URL: Yokohama Arts Foundation Press Release: October 22, 2025 The 30th annual Yokohama Performing Arts Meeting (YPAM2025), an international performing arts platform, will be held from November 28th. November 28th – December 14th: KAAT Kanagawa Arts Theatre, Yokohama Minami Center for Gender Equality, Steep Slope Studio, Art Center NEW, Tokyo University of the Arts Motomachi Chinatown Campus, Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse No. 1, Chat Noir, and more.
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Ahn Eun-mi “North Korean Dance” | (C) JM Chabot About YPAM and This Year’s Program YPAM (Yokohama International Performing Arts Meeting) is a forum for contemporary performing arts professionals from Japan and abroad to interact through performance programs and meetings, gaining information, inspiration, and networks for the creation, dissemination, and revitalization of performing arts. Launched in Tokyo in 1995 as the “Tokyo Performing Arts Market (TPAM),” it strengthened its Asian focus in 2015 and has also participated in co-productions with Asia. Now in its 30th year, it is internationally recognized as one of Asia’s most influential performing arts platforms. With the exception of some programs specifically for professional audiences, most programs are open to the general public. As a new initiative, this year’s “YPAM Direction” program, which has been implemented in various formats since 2011, including experiments by young creators, introducing Asian works by guest directors from overseas, international co-productions, and new commissions, will be reorganized as a forum for brief presentations and discussions of experimental projects. This year marks the first time the program will be held in this new format. We have invited three people who developed groundbreaking artist development programs in Taipei, Singapore, and Bangkok in the 2010s and 2020s to serve as “supporters” for each artist. Using each project as a catalyst, these professionals will examine the meaning and methods of creating art in Asia today, as well as the current concept of “artwork” itself, from a professional perspective. The “YPAM Showcase” is a new event held in cooperation with arts and cultural organizations both in Japan and abroad. It serves as an international meeting point for audiences and
professionals to share works that embody the contemporaneity of performing arts. Seven projects with diverse concepts and scales will be introduced. It can also be enjoyed as a festival. The professional exchange program “YPAM Exchange” will hold a reception at Art Center NEW, a new arts complex opening on June 1, 2025, within Shin-Takashima Station on the Minatomirai Line. Additionally, a “Meeting Point” will be held at the Yokohama Minami Gender Equality Center (Forum Minami-Ota), where symposiums featuring guest speakers and open meetings hosted by registered YPAM participants will be held. The YPAM Fringe, an open performing arts festival, has entered 53 performances, a new record high. Of these, 13 are from overseas locations. Come experience the thrill of a fringe festival, where unpredictable events stimulate curiosity about the unknown. YPAM is spreading new value from Yokohama by affirming the immediacy of live performances that can only be experienced here and now, while also fostering exchanges between experts from around the world who defy division. Program Overview 1) YPAM Direction (*All venues: Steep Slope Studio) Ayu Permata Sari (Indonesia) x Hashima Harris (Singapore) “Batu” Tuesday, December 9th | A collaboration inspired by Batu (stone) pestles and mortars, domestic and ritual tools that “choreograph” the bodies of Malay Muslim women. Supported by Daniel Kok (Artistic Director, Dance Nucleus/Singapore).
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/14302/1407/14302-1407-6f0b7bea12feda5cd97bdde70e5d102e-208×139.jpg Photo by Amritha Wayan Xu Pingwen (Taiwan) “Eldest Son” Wednesday, December 10th | What does it mean to “become” the “eldest son” in East Asia? This is an artist’s personal project that confronts the outing of “she/her” to “he/they/them.” Supported by River Lin (Independent Curator/Taiwan).
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/14302/1407/14302-1407-4b1535e467aa3fb81660f7dccaad1e0a-208×140.jpg Photo by Choy Tsai Thanapol Virulhakul / Backroom (Thailand) “Comrades, Miracles, Curses” December 11th (Thursday) | Amidst repeated coups and protests, this choreography project was inspired by Lenin’s writings, which liken revolution to a “miracle.” Supported by Sasapin Sirivanit (Producer/Artistic Director of Bangkok International Performing Arts Meeting/Thailand).
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/14302/1407/14302-1407-55f4ca25f068a8ccc84a7c5e255ca3ce-208×140.jpg (C)Peerapol Kijreunpiromsuk Shiki Osamu (Japan/Belgium) “Your Phantom Eye, Our Crystallized Pain” December 12th (Friday) | Body ownership, the violence of the gaze, phantom pain… This performance serves as a platform for various ideas that arise between alienation and liberation. Supporters: To be announced.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/14302/1407/14302-1407-688575250739692c0e108c771984fa7d-208×140.jpg 2) YPAM Showcase Jérôme Bel (France) “Jérôme Bel” December 5th (Friday) – 7th (Sunday) KAAT Kanagawa Arts Theatre This
autobiographical work was written and performed by a French
choreographer who continues to resist conventions in dance,
performance, and production, and who decided not to fly for overseas performances out of consideration for climate change. Takao Kawaguchi will perform the work in Japan in both Japanese and English. Image
URL: https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/14302/1407/14302-1407-680c30bb6caa32adf7cd4277b3a31cf2-272×183.jpg (C)Laurent Philippe Ahn Eun-mi (South Korea) “North Korean Dance” Monday, December 8th KAAT Kanagawa Arts Theater Every country has its dances and its dancers. A leading choreographer of Korean contemporary dance reimagines the dances of a “neighboring country” that shares the same roots and traditions but developed under completely different ideologies.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/14302/1407/14302-1407-a40e9076ce9a76c0d534b17fff64d51d-272×183.jpg (C)JM Chabot contact Gonzo (Osaka) x TS Crew (Hong Kong) “Bridging Bridges” (Yokohama Dance Collection 2025) December 9th (Tue) – 10th (Wed) Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse No. 1, 3F Hall This international co-production, commissioned by the West Kowloon Cultural District (Hong Kong), playfully links the bamboo scaffolding commonly used on Hong Kong construction sites with a soccer match, exploring cultural identity and linguistic conflict through improvisational performance.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/14302/1407/14302-1407-2eab9e4583ca61660f74e49e2b1429ab-272×185.jpg (C)contact Gonzo Alessandro Sciarrone (Italy) “In a Landscape” December 12th (Friday) – 13th (Saturday) KAAT Kanagawa Arts Theatre This Italian choreographer, who has established a rigorous, clear, and pristine style at the border between visual art and dance, will present three works based on his practice of “spinning” and research into traditional dance. The title comes from a piano piece composed for dance by John Cage in 1948.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/14302/1407/14302-1407-83024456c6dd1eef0449268a8ef8ec50-272×184.jpg (C)Roberta Segata | Courtesy of Centrale Fies Xu Chia-Wei Zhang Ting-Tong Chen Shen-Yu (Taiwan) “Equal Crystal Sowing” (Exhibition) December 8th (Wed) – 13th (Sat) Tokyo University of the Arts Motomachi Chinatown Campus The title is a Taiwanese Mandarin word meaning the sugar crystallization process. Set in a sugar factory built in Huwei, Yunlin County during the Japanese “rule,” this video installation uses the narrative techniques of traditional puppet theater (potehi) to bring to light memories of war, industry, and modernization. Image
URL: https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/14302/1407/14302-1407-86cba901c5076c00da3e5eb9d49a9c99-272×184.jpg Photo: Shintaro Yamanaka (Qsyum!) Courtesy of Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media [YCAM] Hsu Chia-Wei Chang Ting-Tong Chen Shen-Yu (Taiwan) x YCAM (Japan) “Even Beneath the Waves, I Serve the Capital” December 12th (Fri) – 13th (Sat) KAAT Kanagawa Arts Theatre The title comes from the Tale of the Heike. Set in a sugar factory built in Moji, Fukuoka Prefecture during the Meiji period, this video installation/performance revisits the modern history of Taiwan and Japan, using the principles of Bunraku puppet theater, VR, and motion capture to drive history.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/14302/1407/14302-1407-71145f66fae2424c3413900e394978c2-272×184.jpg Photo: Shintaro Yamanaka (Qsyum!) Courtesy of Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media [YCAM] Cloud Gate Dance Theatre | Chen Zhonglong (Taiwan) x Daito Manabe (Japan) “WAVES” (Yokohama Dance Collection 2025) Saturday, December 13th, KAAT Kanagawa Arts Theater A
collaboration between a Taiwanese dance company with over 50 years of history and media artist Daito Manabe. Exploring the concept of waves as dynamic energy emanating from the body, the fusion of dance, music, and video invites viewers into a new world of physical sensations.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/14302/1407/14302-1407-7172d9c8da761cdcb5d826b3e00b2565-272×184.jpg Photo: LIU Chen-hsiang Courtesy of Cloud Gate Dance Theater of Taiwan 3) YPAM Exchange
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/14302/1407/14302-1407-522c674c00b3ee70fde6cc108e428f15-312×208.jpg Photo by Kureo Fujita The “YPAM Exchange” exchange program will be held over three days at the Yokohama Minami Gender Equality Center (Forum Minami-Ota), featuring a symposium and open meetings
(presentations, roundtable discussions, and studio presentations). Also included will be “Speed ​​Networking,” a popular program at TPAM that was revived last year, allowing for one-on-one meetings with festival directors and producers from Japan and abroad. The reception will be held on Monday, December 8th, from 4:00 PM at Art Center NEW, a new art spot in Yokohama that opened in June this year inside Shin-Takashima Station on the Minatomirai Line. The event will also feature studio visits and presentations by Morishita Studio (Saison Foundation) and Dance Base Yokohama (DaBY), a pitch session by SOIL (Japan Performing Arts Network), and a lecture by ON-PAM (Open Network for Performing Arts Producers). Please check the website for the latest information. Details of the above programs will be posted on the website in due course. It’s no exaggeration to say that the Late Night Meeting Point is the most eagerly anticipated program among YPAM enthusiasts. This year, the venue will be the chanson bar “Cha Noir” in Hinodecho, where a storm of international networking will rage all night long!
4) YPAM Fringe
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/14302/1407/14302-1407-a4204d9749ba00b5039538dd695619b9-195×274.jpg “Watch in Yokohama. Perform in Yokohama.” YPAM Fringe is a performing arts festival open to all artists. Now in its fourth year, the festival has changed its name from TPAM Fringe and is now limited to the Yokohama/Kanagawa area. The number of participating artists has increased even more than last year’s record, with 53 entries. This year’s lineup is the most diverse in YPAM Fringe history, featuring well-known companies, emerging artists, and even international artists. Enjoy the captivating chaos of a fringe festival, where you never know what’s going to happen, along with the charm of the city of Yokohama. For details on the lineup, please refer to the YPAM Fringe Program Book, available at theaters and art spaces nationwide, or visit the YPAM website. The YPAM Fringe Center, a gathering place for Fringe artists, creators, and audiences, offers naturally grown brown rice meals and natural wine year-round. It is open daily during the YPAM period. YPAM Fringe 2025 Participating Artists/Companies (in program book order) Sandy Brischler ● Furutamaru Theatre Company ● Ippei Yonezawa ● Tonari-ya ● Landscape THEATRE ● Asami Kiuchi ● MMLAB theatre ● Haruka Kudo, Kazumasa Habatani, Narutsugu Hosoda ● Shunpei Nemoto ● Leisure Time ● Tokyo Tambourine ● Kamome Machine ● Minami Nakayashiki / Garage / Kiyosu Ionescu / Mitsutane Ota ● Yokohama National University Graduate School of Urban Innovation IUI Exhibition 2025-2026 ● Yuka Seki Yukako Motobo Rei Nagai / Yokohama National University Odawara Nodoka Laboratory ● Elephant’s Nose Terrace ● Mardon Mitsuhashi ● Setouchi Circus Factory General Incorporated Association ● Yo Nakamura (Yoh ) ● Yokohama Community Design Lab & Similar and Different works●OUTBACK Actors School●Li Xiao
Theatre●Salmon Spare●Mr. Daydreamer●COLLOL●Hiroaki Umeda●Yohei Hamada/Odoru Sakanadan●Co.ERASGA●dracom●Shikiri●Camille Trebuchet x Astrid Tseng●Kengeki Harukomaza●Zhou Dong-Hen/Ki Theatre●Sununu●Mirai Circus Network●Mum and Gypsy●Bird Park●Onoma Rico/Shuko●End and Cheek●Eishi Dance Garden●Takuya Takemoto●Silve Plais●Yota●Macau Kick-Off Association●Ferral Ferras●Development●Tamagawa
Suzu●girls●Zazie Zu●Keisuke Sugawara●Marginal Consort●NPO Ashioto de Tsunagarou Project
5) Schedule Please check the website for detailed program schedules. Registration/Tickets We ask all performing arts professionals to register. Registration is not required for the general public. Tickets are available for each program.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/14302/1407/14302-1407-d08b359b7ec6440ef02ecc0534e6d97d-735×344.jpg Event overview Organized by: Yokohama International Performing Arts Meeting Executive Committee (Kanagawa Arts Foundation, Yokohama Arts Foundation, Yokohama City Sports and Culture Bureau, Japan Performing Arts Communication Center) Co-organized by: Yokohama City Sports and Culture Bureau, Japan Foundation Supported by: Regional Creation Foundation Business Partnership: National Association of Public Cultural Facilities (Performing Arts Overseas Coordinator Development Program) Special Support: Steep Slope Studio With cooperation from: Koganecho Area Management Center, Art Center NEW (Ongoing General Incorporated Association), Yokohama Minatomirai Railway Co., Ltd. Sponsored by: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kanagawa Prefecture Partnered by: Yokohama Dance Collection 2025 FY2020 Agency for Cultural Affairs Cultural and Art Creation Center Formation Project