conversations in ten questions 73: Kenji Shinohe



What is the essence of performance in your opinion? 
As a dancer, I always try to present physicality to the audience. 

Do you believe in the transformative power of art? How? 
I believe that dance transcends language and is a way for people to interact. 

When you are working on a piece, what sources inspire you? Do dreams play a role in your works? 
I get my inspiration from everyday real life. The music, novels, and movies I listen to on a daily basis are also a big influence. 

When do you decide to give a title to a work you are working on if it already does not have one? 
I always start my work by deciding on a title. The title suggests to me the direction in which the work should go. 

Are there any artist or person whom you think influenced your art most? And if there is such an artist or person, who? 
I was heavily influenced by old punk rock bands. Their spirit and attitude of thinking is the source of my activities. 

When you consider the current state of the world in every sense, what is the most important and urgent issue for you as an artist? 
Currently, divisions are occurring in various countries and regions. Rather than picking up one opinion, I want to present how many different points of view can be respected. 

Looking at the information about K(-A-)O, we see that you have been staging it in many different cities of the world since its premiere in 2015. K(-A-)O sounds like your bestselling show. How did the idea for K(-A-)O come about, how did the creating process develop? 
I got the idea K(-A-)O while riding the subway in Japan. I could feel from the way everyone on the subway was looking down at their smartphones that we were losing real emotion in our life by using digital tools. 

If you had to translate K(-A-)O into a single sentence, what would that sentence be? 
''K(-A-)O" throw a question to you, how can we get back our own feelings? 

What does ‘Fringe’ signify for you? 
I think it's a great opportunity for artists from all over the world to interact. 

What would you like to say to the Istanbul fringe audience? 
This is my first time to perform in Istanbul, so I am looking forward to meeting you all.
 
[The Turkish version of this interview was published in unlimited.]

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