KIZUNA DANCE

E.X.P.L.O.D.E is inspired by the 1988 seminal Japanese animated film AKIRA. The film depicts Neo-Tokyo in the year 2019, 30 years after Tokyo was decimated by an atomic bomb in WWIII. The friendship of two members of the same gang, Tetsuo and Kaneda, arrives at a chaotic end after Tetsuo develops psychic powers beyond his control. E.X.P.L.O.D.E focuses on Tetsuo’s sudden acquisition of psychic abilities that rapidly become uncontrollable. Tetsuo’s active choice in the film to use those powers for the destruction of both his surroundings and his closest friends are echoed in intricate ensemble work and extensive solo and duets that portray the de-evolution of Tetsuo's mind, body, and spirit. E.X.P.L.O.D.E was commissioned by The Dance Gallery Festival and Alessandra Gouldner.