Yūgen

Yūgen is named after a concept that is central to Japanese traditional aesthetics. It describes when something evokes a beauty that it doesn’t literally exhibit and cannot be seen directly. For instance, a garden might be designed such that a particular rock evokes a feeling of the coast, although the garden itself is inland. In this work, the dancers’ movements evoke seasonal and life cycles, transporting an audience into a shifting and fertile ecology.

Choreographer
Yuiko Masukawa

Performers & Collaborators

1st Development
Samuel Harnett-Welk, Jessica Thompson

2nd Development
Andrew Crawford, Jessica Thompson

Composers
Madeleine Flynn, Tim Humphrey

Production Design
Sam McGilp

Costume Design
Jack Hancock

Producer
Insite Arts

Performance History

19 March 2023
The Australian Ballet — Development Showing, Frame Festival 2023

This project was supported by the City of Melbourne Arts Grants, The Australian Ballet, Lucy Guerin Inc, Dancehouse, and the City of Yarra