Winter guests — Simulacrum at Den Norske Opera & Ballett

Simulacrum is a meeting between award-winning Argentinian dancer Daniel Proietto and 77-year-old Japanese flamenco legend Sh?ji K?jima. By weaving dance together with theatre, and Japanese kabuki with Spanish flamenco, resident choreographer Alan Lucien Øyen and his company winter guests tell a story of cultures, identity and the cycle of life.

Kabuki is traditional form of Japanese theatre with strong links to Japanese identity and fundamental classical role models. So what happens when an Argentinian dancer steps into such a role? And what happened when Japanese K?jima turned up in Spain early in the 1960s and asked for permission to dance the flamenco?

But despite the flamenco and kabuki, the performance constitutes an intimate meeting in which old Japanese master Sh?ji K?jima takes Argentinian Daniel Proietto on a journey – with stunning, changing scenography, virtuosic dance and moving portrayals of human destiny.

In this performance, Daniel Proietto dances kabuki ¬¬– a highly tradition-bound performance style that is hardly ever taught outside so-called kabuki families, and never to westerners. Soke Kanjuro Fujima is the greatest kabuki choreographer alive today. He has created a piece for this performance – including both text and dance.