UKIYO-E

The thirty-eighth edition of the Romaeuropa Festival opens with an invitation to explore the beauty created by human beings and their ability to respond to the continuous mutations and fractures of the present moment.  This meditation is brought to life by choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, who turned to Japan and in particular to Ukiyo-e (literally: images of the floating world), a cultural movement aimed at portraying the daily life and urban landscapes of the Edo era (1603- 1868). The impassioned choreography presented by the Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève (of which Larbi Cherkaoui is currently Artistic Director) brings 18 performers on stage to animate a contemporary piece, in which the compositions of Szymon Brzóska and Alexandre Dai Castaing blend with traditional sounds interpreted by Taiko master, composer and singer Shogo Yoshi.

«To live for the moment, being entirely entranced by the moon, the snow, the cherry blossoms and the red leaves of the maples, singing songs, drinking sake, consoling oneself by forgetting reality (…) this, I call Ukiyo», the writer Asai Ry?i stated in 1661. Thus Larbi Cherkaoui, fusing culture and aesthetics, contemporary dance and visual elements from the Japanese tradition, draws the audience into his “floating world”, the impermanence of life, its transience, the human ability to celebrate beauty even in moments of crisis.