Kenta Kojiri

Set course for Japan! To coincide with the exhibition Mondes flottants, du Japonisme à l'art contemporain, Les Franciscaines invites exceptional dancer Kenta Kojiri. Drawing on the roots of his native culture and his training in classical dance, he creates this solo in dialogue with the koto, a traditional Japanese harp.

Born in Japan in 1981, Kenta Kojiri began ballet at the age of three. He then joined Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo before becoming the first Japanese artist to join Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT1). Kenta Kojiri has performed with some of the world's leading choreographers, including Jiri Kylián, William Forsythe, Mats Ek, Ohad Naharin, Crystal Pite, Wayne McGregor and Alexander Ekman. He is currently associate choreographer at Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse No 1.

A composer and instrumentalist specializing in the koto and shamisen, Fumie Hihara performs as a soloist in Japan, Europe and New York, where she recorded in 2004. The program of her recitals is distinguished by its originality: traditional Japanese music from the 17th and 18th centuries alternates with surprising arrangements of classical Western music and her own compositions, for which she also writes the lyrics.

The two artists invite you on a journey between the Far East and the West, whose poetic echoes are amplified by the setting of the Cloister.