Hiroaki Umeda / S20

22 - 23 Feb 2026 Venue: Bangkok Kunsthalle

is a Tokyo-born choreographer and multidisciplinary artist, widely recognized as a leading figure in the Japanese avant-garde art scene. Founder of the company S20, he creates highly immersive works that integrate intense physicality with digital imagery, sound, light, and spatial composition, treating time and space as central choreographic elements.

His performances and installations have been presented internationally at major festivals and institutions, and his long-term project Superkinesis explores fundamental human kinetic forces through dancers of diverse physical backgrounds. Working also as a composer, lighting designer, scenographer, and visual artist, Umeda’s practice blurs the boundaries between dance and visual art, earning him global acclaim, including a Prix Ars Electronica Honorary Mention.

22 Feb 2026

2:00–3:00 P.M.Artist Talk / Demonstration: New Approaches to Movement Research in Relation to Technology and Improvisation

This artist talk and demonstration introduces Hiroaki Umeda’s artistic approach to movement research, focusing on the relationship between the body, technology, and improvisation. Drawing from his choreographic practice, Umeda shares how sensory perception, impulse, and physical awareness inform his creative process, and how technological elements—such as light, sound, and digital systems.

3:00–5:00 P.M.Open Lab with Thai Artists

The Open Lab creates a shared experimental space for Thai artists to engage directly with Umeda’s methodologies. Through practical exploration and open exchange, participants are invited to investigate movement, perception, and improvisation, fostering dialogue between contemporary choreographic research and local artistic practices.

23 Feb 2026

3:00–6:00 P.M.Dance Method Workshop: Doutai Method

This practical workshop introduces Hiroaki Umeda’s Doutai Method. Doutai Method is a method of movement developed not as a dance style, but as a fundamental principle underlying all forms of movement. Starting with the basics—such as standing and releasing unnecessary tension—it provides a logical and structured approach to using natural forces to move the body and create flow. The method is used in Hiroaki Umeda’s own choreographic works, and because it focuses on how to engage with the body itself, it can be shared across dance genres and beyond..

Supported by the Japan Foundation, Bangkok, and TCEB