OZ Arts to Present The Return Of Tokyo-Based Choreographer And Multimedia Artist Hiraoki Umeda

Contemporary arts center OZ Arts Nashville continues the Spring 2026 line-up of international performances with the return of prolific Japanese multimedia artist and choreographer Hiraoki Umeda / S20. The energizing double-bill kicks off with a performance by four young women who together form the Tokyo-based collective Somatic Field Project, followed by a new solo piece created and performed by Umeda inside high-octane projections and an avant-garde soundscape that combines distortion with his experimental music. Multimedia enthusiasts and dance-lovers alike will have three opportunities to catch the performances, March 26-28 in OZ Arts' chic Creative Warehouse. The Nashville stop is the final engagement on a five-city tour that includes performances at The Kennedy Center in D.C., FringeArts in Philadelphia, and the Japan Society in New York.

Renowned for his "virtuoso melding of technology and movement" (Scotland Herald), choreographer and performer Hiroaki Umeda redefines the boundaries of dance and performance with his inventive use of multiple video projections and immersive sound art. A true interdisciplinary force - choreographer, dancer, and designer of audio, image, and lighting - Umeda creates high-velocity, visually stunning experiences that blur the line between installation and live performance. Returning to Nashville for the first time since his riveting first engagement in Fall 2019, his thrilling fusion of body, light, and sound returns to OZ Arts with two internationally acclaimed multimedia works: his stunning solo assimilating is a high-octane visual spectacle, and his cinematic group work Moving State 1 highlights four female Hip-hop performers from the influential Somatic Field Project. Both pieces explore behavioral design and the "attitudes" of things in motion within a dance aesthetic where refined physicality merges with cyberart.

Choreographer and multidisciplinary artist Hiroaki Umeda has been a leading figure in Japan's avant-garde arts scene over the last two decades. Since the launch of his company S20, his subtle yet visceral dance theater works have toured worldwide to audience and critical acclaim. Dancing within a gorgeous digital stage environment, Umeda choreographs optical, tonal, sensorial, and spatiotemporal elements. Driven by his profound interest in time and space, Umeda's singular artistic vision also includes composing, lighting design, scenography, and visual art.

"Hiroaki Umeda is one of the most electrifying artists making work on the global stage today, and we are thrilled to welcome him back to Nashville," said Mark Murphy, OZ Arts Executive and Artistic Director. "Audiences won't want to miss this chance to see Umeda's eye-popping work live in-person. It's unlike any other performance experience out there."

Tickets to Hiraoki Umeda's performances of assimilating and Moving State 1 at OZ Arts Nashville start at just $30 and are on sale now via this link. Artists and Creative Community members can also access discounted tickets starting at just $20. Additional Spring 2026 package options, including a Pick Three trio, can be found via this link.