Reporting Opportunity: HINOTORI – Phoenix, beyond borders through cultural collaboration
Global ensemble to present theatre in six languages with live music, traditional performing arts, and contemporary circus and dance – Building cultural bridges in Asia, South America and Europe
Tokyo, Japan – An international ensemble of performers, dancers, and musicians from Brazil, Indonesia, Japan, Poland, and Malaysia comes together to present HINOTORI: Phoenix of Mountain and Phoenix of Sea (Hinotori), a new interdisciplinary theatrical work produced in 2 parts, Phoenix of Mountain and Phoenix of Sea. Blending contemporary music, dance, theatre, and circus with classical and traditional performing arts, the production forges a powerful dialogue between past, present and the future.
Since July 20, more than 15 artists from Japan, Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Poland have been in creative residency in Tokyo, developing this new work under the direction of Japanese director Hiroshi Koike. Hinotori will have its world premiere at Nakano ZERO Theatre in Tokyo, October 11–14. Phoenix of Mountain, the first part of Hinotori premiered at ROHM Theatre Kyoto on September 13, and received positive feedback from the international community.
Travis Seifman, researcher, comments: The mixture of layers and actual traditions makes for something that feels like it belongs to all cultures and no cultures. And the dance and costumes, the visual spectacle overall was just so impactful.
Banana Yoshimoto, writer, comments: Koike’s world is always free and dynamic. No matter how chaotic the world turns, people seem to burn with the joy of life. Coming to realize—Ah! This must be what humans are truly like!
“Hinotori” means bird of fire in Japanese, immediately recalling Osamu Tezuka’s legendary manga HINOTORI—an epic exploring transformation of time and humanity. Across cultures, the phoenix symbolizes rebirth and renewal. At its heart, Koike’s Hinotori asks: What does it mean to be human in an increasingly chaotic and uncertain world? Through live music, multilingual performance, and a boundary-defying approach, the production reflects Koike’s vision—not only to transcend borders of geography and language, but to push the very limits of genre.
This premiere marks the culmination of a four-year international collaboration that started in 2021, co-produced with The Grotowski Institute (Poland), Kuala Lumpur Shakespeare Players (Malaysia), and Sesc São Paulo (Brazil). Each phase was developed in those countries with local artists and visiting Japanese artists, drawing inspiration from literary works, Kosmos by Witold Gombrowicz, The Odyssey by Homer, The War of the End of the World by Mario Vargas Llosa, and Tezuka’s manga – Hinotori.
Hinotori reflects today’s world: diverse and free, yet often conflicted and unstable. And still, amid uncertainty, humans remain capable of extraordinary creativity across language, age, and culture. The four-year process itself is a testament to the power of collaboration—a baton of hope to the next generation.
Polish journalist Dagmara Chojnacka described the experience during the 2023 premiere of KOSMOS in Poland: Words don’t reign supreme; instead, fantastic projections and scenography seamlessly move as a living organism, crafting a genuine interdisciplinary masterpiece.
ABOUT THE SHOW
The story unfolds across two distinct performances: Phoenix of Mountain and Phoenix of Sea, each about 2 hours in length, the combined length of the performances is about 4 hours.
Phoenix of Mountain: It is 20XX. Two political parties dominate the government and fight for control. The city collapses — broken by a reckless regime and disaster. The people lose everything… and stumble into another world. The dead dance. Monsters rise. Love and betrayal twist. Through music, movement, and words, the myth unfolds. Then — the Phoenix (Hinotori) appears. Is this the end, or the beginning of something new?
Phoenix of Sea: It is years after the collapse. The people return from the Land of the Dead — only to find a world unraveling at the seams. Is this the future? Lust. Guilt. Ghosts. Monsters. Madness. Power spins out of control. The Phoenix’s warning becomes reality. The future now turns on the choices they make.
Notable performers: Waclaw Zimpel, Poland’s most adventurous multi-instrumentalists. Primarily an alto clarinet player, Zimpel collaborates with musicians from around the world. The New York Times called him a ‘musical chameleon’.
Lee Swee Keong, award winning dancer who has practiced butoh for over 30 years. Swee Keong was instrumental in developing the contemporary performing arts scene that we see in Malaysia today.
Hideto Okuzawa, aerial circus performer, former member of Cirque du Soleil, performing in over 4,000 shows. Okuzawa performs acrobatic movements in the air using specialized ropes that are suspended to the ceiling of the theatre.
The Cast and Creative Team
Writer, Director: HIROSHI KOIKE
The Cast: LEE SWEE KEONG (Malaysia—Dancer, Actor)
SYLWIA HEFCZYŃSKA-LEWANDOWSKA (Poland—Dancer, Actor), MAREK GLUZIŃSKI (Poland—Actor)
DANANG PAMUNGKAS (Indonesia—Javanese dancer), JOÃO GUISANDE (Brazil—Actor)
IMAI JINYA (Noh actor/classical Japanese performing art & Kotsuzumi – small drum)
IKENO TAKUYA (Dancer, Actor), OKUZAWA HIDETO (Circus performer)
SAKURAI MAKI (Actor), bable (Actor, Dancer)
NISHIKAWA ICHIYA (Nihonbuyo/Japanese traditional dance, Dancer), TSUYAMA MAIKA (Dancer, Actor)
MORI KEITO (Actor, Dancer), OKABE RINA (Unicycle artist)
ŌSHIRO KAIKI (Performer)
Music, Composer: GREGORY SLIVAR (Brazil—Violin, Berimbau, Percussion), OTA YUTAKA (Yoko-fue/Japanese flute, Saxophone), SANTOSH LOGANDRAN (Malaysia—Voice, Percussion), WACLAW ZIMPEL (Poland—Alto clarinet), NAKAMURA KEISUKE (Trumpet), MOCOTY (Horagai/Conch shell, Didjeridu)
Scenic Design: Wataru Yamakami
Costume Design: Koji Hamai (Ultra Hamai Design Studio)
Video Engineer, Projection Design: Tomoya Kishimoto
Projection Design: Ivan Soares (Brazil), Adrian Jackowski (Poland), Jay Chiah (Malaysia), Kazuhiro Shirao
3D CG Design: Makoto Sekido
Animation Design Shoji Umemura
Tokyo Premiere – HINOTORI: Phoenix of Mountain and Phoenix of Sea
Oct 11 (Sat) 6:00PM ~ Oct 14 (Tue) 2:00PM (Total of 6 performances)
Venue: Nakano ZERO large hall 2-9-7 Nakano, Nakano-ku, Tokyo
https://maps.app.goo.gl/
Official website: https://kikh.com/en/works/
Promotion Video: HINOTORI Director’s interview (https://youtu.be/w7HmNSSri4A?
Instagram: kikhbridgeproject_odyssey(http
Organized and Produced by SAI Inc., NPO Bridge for the Arts and Education
Supported by Grants from Japan Creator Support Fund, Arts Council Tokyo(Grant for Artistic City), The Japan World Exposition 1970 Commemorative Fund – KANSAI OSAKA 21st Century Association (EXPO’70 FUND), Tokyo Club, The Saison Foundation, Japan Foundation (Designated Donations Program), Ministry of Culture and National Heritage Poland
Sponsored by Shusaku Minoda(Representative Director of One Million Classic Live Foundation), GM Creation Inc., Embassy of Brazil in Japan, Guimarães Rosa Institute
Support Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Polish Institute in Tokyo, Embassy of Malaysia in Japan, Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Tokyo, Nakano City, Association for Nakano International Communications, Nakano-Ku Tourism Association, Kyoto City, Kyoto City International Foundation
Selected programs in The 80th Agency for Cultural Affairs National Arts Festival,
東京舞台芸術祭 2025 / Tokyo Festival 2025 – Open Call Program
Contact
Hiroshi Koike Bridge Project-ODYSSEY / SAI Inc.
Marie Kuroda
1-1-5 1F Arai Nakano-ku Tokyo, 165-0025
Phone: +81 3-3385-2066 / +81-80-3097-8330
Email: sai@kikh.com
