From Swindon to Japan: Our latest international collaboration at Yoro Park
Image c. Benjamin Beech
We’ve just returned from an extraordinary experience in Gifu Prefecture, Japan, where we were invited to create a new site-specific performance at the iconic Site of Reversible Destiny – Yoro Park to mark its 30th anniversary.
For those who haven’t been, Yoro Park is no conventional performance space. Designed by Shusaku Arakawa and Madeline Gins, it’s a vivid, disorienting playground of slopes, uneven terrains and architectural provocations — a place that asks the body to rethink balance, curiosity and perception. Working inside this environment felt completely aligned with the questions we return to again and again: how movement, design and imagination can reshape the way we experience the world.
To celebrate the park’s milestone, we collaborated with Japanese sound artist evala and visual artist Shinji Ohmaki to create a promenade performance that unfolded across the landscape. Across three days — from daytime encounters for park visitors to sold-out night-time performances offering rare access to the park after dark — the work became a living conversation between dancers, sound, light, the terrain and the weather itself.
Our cast featured Fukiko Takase, Dickson Mbi, Manon Parent, Aoi Nakamura and Moo Kim, with choreography and direction from Adrienne Hart. Costumes were designed by Mikio Sakabe, including a striking mirrored mask created by sculptor Ana Rajcevic.
Reflecting on the project, Adrienne said:
“This was collaboration in its purest form — dancers, sound, light, the landscape and even the weather all played a part. Arakawa and Gins encourage visitors to explore like children again, and our intention was to open that same sense of discovery through the body. It was intense, playful and energising. I’m excited to see how this experience feeds into our creative work back home in Swindon.”
One audience member shared a moment we won’t forget:
“My grandmother didn’t want to come at first. But when she saw something happening deep in the valley, she started climbing — and before I knew it, she was dancing along with the performers. She talked about it non-stop on the way home.”
This project follows our appearance at RISING Festival in Melbourne, where we performed Last and First Men, our work set to Jóhann Jóhannsson’s acclaimed film and score narrated by Tilda Swinton. As our international journey continues, we remain rooted in Swindon — nurturing local artists and building creative connections at home.
Now we’re back on home soil, we’re looking forward to a whole run of Last and First Men at London’s Coronet Theatre from the 26 - 28 February 2026 - to reconnect with friends and colleagues and to offer South East audience another chance to experience Neon Dance live.
Our participation in Japan was supported by The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation and Arts Council England National Lottery Grants.
