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Child's Play

Fittingly, I caught Kaori Ito’s charming production “An Upside Down World” on Children’s Day, a national holiday in Japan. An interactive dance theater experience billed for “kids of all ages,” Ito created the work originally in France in 2021, first adapting it for Japanese audiences in 2023 after working with local kindergartens and three Tokyo-based contemporary dancers.

Performance

Kaori Ito: “An Upside Down World”

Place

Kanagawa Arts Theatre, Yokohama, Japan, May 5, 2026

Words

Kris Kosaka

Yu Okamoto, Aokid, Llon Kawai, and Kanae Asakawa in “An Upside Down World” by Kaori Ito. Photograph courtesy of Kanagawa Arts Theatre

A popular success, the production is already back for a revival, updated and with one new cast member, Kanae Asakawa. It will travel to Kawasaki and Fukuoka later this month. The four performers personify exuberance in the wildly whimsical romp, Llon Kawai, Aokid, Yu Okamoto, and Asakawa. 

The plot is simple: a ragtag band of “superheroes” struggle to regain equilibrium after the earth, tired of being trampled and abused, hurls itself skyward to flip the world upside down. Ito created the storyline first as a Japanese picture book, The Secret Hut, also drawing the illustrations in the kamishibai tradition. Ten minutes before the performance time, the dancers lead the audience behind the seats to a small alcove, where Kawai turned the pages as a pre-recorded voice read Ito’s work. The children sat cross-legged on the floor, as adults gathered in a circle. It was an effective start, firing imaginations as the story continues onstage. 

Aokid in in “An Upside Down World” by Kaori Ito. Photograph courtesy of Kanagawa Arts Theatre

Aokid in in “An Upside Down World” by Kaori Ito. Photograph courtesy of Kanagawa Arts Theatre

After retaking our seats, the dancers make the audience part of the performance by giving out costumes. From apparel mimicking Spiderman or Snow White to wands, capes or tiaras, eager children and some adults transformed. The spirit of play was infectious, and it was easy to join the fun as dancers lead the audience in easy movements as a warm-up, from hand gestures to stamping feet. 

There was also plenty of dance to observe, in a wide range of styles. Kawai and Aokid both incorporate breakdancing and hip-hop in their sequences, powerfully unexpected yet fluid. Asakawa’s background as a gymnast adds both grace and fun, as when she balances Okamoto on her legs in one memorable sequence. Okamoto, classically trained and also a talented singer, frequently breaks out in song to accompany a scenario. Staging is minimal, but effective; one clever set starts with Kawai in flight from the spotlight, as if fleeing the moon. Eventually, all the dancers find themselves pursued by the glowing circle, to great comic effect. 

AoKid, Yu Okamoto (sitting) Kanae Asakawa, and Llon Kawai in Kaori Ito's “An Upside Down World.” Photograph courtesy of in Kanagawa Arts Theatre

AoKid, Yu Okamoto (sitting) Kanae Asakawa, and Llon Kawai in Kaori Ito's “An Upside Down World.” Photograph courtesy of in Kanagawa Arts Theatre

A sense of spontaneous fun permeates the entire production. At the climax, the dancers symbolically struggle to regain control as they mimic the upheaval of a sky upside-down with gray sheeting across the stage, but recorded voices of children—and the final, participatory skit from the audience—saves the day. 

It was an apt staging for the child in everyone, Ito’s vision a clear celebration of the imagination.

Kris Kosaka


Kris Kosaka is a writer and educator based in Kamakura, Japan. A lifelong ballet fan and studio rat in her youth, she's been contributing to the Japan Times since 2009. She writes across culture, but especially in dance, opera and literature. 

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