Transfield from Asia
Fanglao Dance Company

Bamboo Talk + PhuYing

Choreographed by Ounla Phaoudom and Noutnapha Soydala

Tradition meets contemporary in a dance company listening to present-day Laos

Fanglao Dance Company has become a leading presence in the Lao dance scene not only for the striking symbiosis of traditional dance and hip hop styles in its work but also due to its efforts to organize workshops and festivals. For its first performances in Japan, the company presents two works: “Bamboo Talk” is a male dance duet exploring the culture of Southern Laos through breakdancing, traditional martial arts, and an old kind of Lao singing called mor lam, while “PhuYing” features three female dancers employing both classical and hip hop dance styles to convey the reality of women in Laos today. “Fanglao” means to “listen to Laos.” Against the noise of rapid economic growth and modernization in Laos, what can we hear? What do people now feel and sense in their lives? Fanglao Dance Company weaves an honest and fresh meditation on these questions through a unique form of dance culture.

Information

Name Fanglao Dance Company “Bamboo Talk” “PhuYing”
Dates

10/25 (Fri) 19:30
10/26 (Sat) 14:00
10/27 (Sun) 14:00

Venue Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre (Theatre East)
Running Time 60 min.
Tickets Unreserved seating

Tickets

Advance ¥3,500
Students

¥2,300*

High School Students & Younger ¥1,000*
Festival Pass (3 Performances) ¥3,000
Same Day ¥4,000

*For both advance and same-day tickets. Proof of age required.

Artist Profiles

Fanglao Dance Company

This dance company was founded by Noutnapha Soydala and Ounla Phaoudom in the Lao capital of Vientiane in 2013. The first experimental and creative company of its kind in Laos to fuse traditional and contemporary dance, it organizes workshops and educational programs as well as festivals, performances, and overseas tours.

Ounla Phaoudom

Choreographer, Dancer

When he was 14 years old, Ounla Phaoudom moved from Champasak Province in the south of Laos to Vientiane. From 2004, he started hip hop dancing with the group Lao Bang Fai Association. After taking part in numerous performances and dance battles in Asia and France, he co-founded Fanglao Dance Company in 2013.

Noutnapha Soydala

Choreographer, Dancer

Trained in traditional Lao dance, Noutnapha Soydala came to hip hop dancing in 2006 via Ounla Phaoudom and to contemporary dance via Olé Khamchanla. Since 2008, she has worked extensively in France as well as Belgium, Luxembourg, and Malaysia. In 2013, she co-founded Fanglao Dance Company.

Cast & Creative

Bamboo Talk  
Choreographed by Ounla Phaoudom
Dancers: Ounla Phaoudom, Pasomsin Phommavong
Lighting: Tah
Costumes: Phonepaseuth Khounphouvong
Photography: Francois Hervy
Produced by Fanglao Dance Company
   
PhuYing  
Choreographed by Noutnapha Soydala
Dancers: Noutnapha Soydala, Silibangone Vongsa, Somvanpheng Keolouanglath
Lighting: Ounla Phaoudom
Photography: Sisaman Dimark
Music: MATMOS “The Purple Island,” Amiina “Sexfaldur,” Aphex Twin “Nannou”
Co-produced by SDC/LCCF Swiss Embassy in Laos
Produced by Fanglao Dance Company
   
Tokyo Production  
Technical Manager: Eiji Torakawa
Assistant Technical Manager: Nahoko Yokokawa
Stage Manager: Shiori Fukuzawa
Stage Assistant: Seina Onaga
Lighting Coordinator: Naoki Kinoshita (Factor Co., Ltd.)
Sound Coordinator: Akira Aikawa (Sound Weeds Inc.)
Technical Interpreter: Noriko Mitsuya
Publicity Design: TAICHI ABE DESIGN INC.
Photography & Video: Takashi Fujikawa, Hibiki Miyazawa (Alloposidae)
Production Coordinators: Yuko Takeda (Festival/Tokyo), Aya Comori (TASKO inc.)
Production Assistant: Chihiro Suzuki
Interns: Yuriko Yano, Momoka Yunoki, Kirara Yokoi
   
Co-organized by the Japan Foundation Asia Center
Presented by Festival/Tokyo

Venue

Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre (Theatre East)

  • 1-8-1 Nishi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo
  • 2 minutes’ walk from West Exit of Ikebukuro Station on JR Line and other lines. (Direct connection to the theatre from Exit 2b.)

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