MEGUMIEDA
First time collaboration with the one and only Kazuhisa Uchihashi.
Megumi Eda + Kazuhisa Uchihashi//PITCH SHIFTING
February 9 2025
8pm
at Ausland,
Lychener Strasse 60, 10437 Berlin, Germany
Kazuhisa Uchihashi is a well-known Japanese guitarist who's all about free improvisation. He started playing at 12 and later got into jazz after being born in 1959. He's jammed with bands like the First Edition and was of Ground Zero. Plus, he set up Innocent Records and been running the Festival BEYOND INNOCENCE every year since 1996!
A New Piece by Megumi Eda and Shintaro Oue
fish άɪ lens
I am currently working on a new piece called **fish άɪ lens** that will premiere on April 17, 2025 at Dock11 Berlin.
"fish άɪ lens" is a multidisciplinary autobiographical dance performance by Megumi Eda, filled with humor, heart, and a touch of whimsy. The piece is structured into six chapters, like following a map, tracing the key stages of Megumi’s life across Nagano/Japan, Hamburg, Amsterdam, London, New York, and Berlin. Leaving Japan at 16 to chase ballet dreams, Megumi’s journey is marked by cultural blunders, language mishaps, and poignant self-discovery. Much like a fisheye lens—distorting and reframing—her experiences reveal unexpected truths. Joining her is a shadow - Shintaro Oue, a teenage friend she astoundingly hadn’t seen in 30 years. Together, they explore the places and moments that shaped Megumi’s artistry, blending past and present to create a vivid, transformative narrative experience.
Megumi Eda /Concept, Performance, Video
Shintaro Oue / Choreography, Dramaturgy, Performance
Kazuhisa Uchihashi /Music Composition
Please Cry is Coming back to DOCK 11 in Berlin on October 24th and 25th.
24,25 October 2024 at 19:00
Entry: 15/10(erm.) Euro
https://dock11-berlin.de/
DOCK 11
Kastanienallee 79,
10435 Berlin
Concept, Direction, Performance: Megumi Eda
Music Composition: Reiko Yamada
Performance: Tomoya Kawamura
Language: Japanese, English
Duration: 70 Min
Please Cry was inspired by the story of nurses who, after years of being made to feel that crying during war was shameful, were finally allowed to cry on the day the war ended, when life-or-death decisions had to be made. During the creative process, Megumi Eda reflected on conversations with her own grandmother, also a nurse during the war, and how these untold experiences shape family histories. Living in Berlin, Eda realized that the trauma of war is not just a thing of the past, but an enduring legacy passed down through generations, like an unbroken chain. The piece contrasts female memory with the male perspective through a prologue by performer Tomoya Kawamura, whose grandfather narrowly escaped death as a kamikaze pilot during World War II. In collaboration with composer Reiko Yamada, contemporary dance and live music intertwine to create a powerful narrative.
*Photo by Bernd Kumar
Film Production
Tour One
What a journey it has been! Filming for the first block of Tour 1 took place from September 5th to 9th, where I had the opportunity to contribute as both a choreographer and a member of the creative team for the theater movement scene in the feature film. Since the start of this year, I’ve been actively involved in the film’s production while balancing my other projects.
I’m already missing it and can’t wait to see the final result! This was only the 1st block, and filming will continue throughout the year. Stay tuned and follow @touronepictures!
Behind the Curtain
Introducing an ongoing project/body of work, research and exploration that I have long wanted to tackle on this highly taboo subject, which I have personally experienced and witnessed.
This project, entitled Behind the Curtain, is about "Institutional Abuse in the Dance World" and I have wanted to
tackle this very taboo subject for a long time which I have experienced and witnessed first hand.
Looking back, my emotional instability in the world of ballet from childhood through my mid-twenties was extraordinary and I endured many painful feelings. When it comes to my mental health, in the last 15-20 years I have built a steady, positive mindset.
I begin this research Behind the Curtain by tracing how I myself endured and what I had to overcome to reach a point of being more naturally myself. Also I will take surveys, hear other people's stories, find friends who have gone through similar experiences, and encourage discussion.
The ultimate goal that I and many other dancers like me have is to create an environment of unity, where ballet students and professionals can raise their voices without being guided by fear.
