Hana Umeda will present the dance performance RAPEFLOWER in the wedding hall of Berlin’s Sophiensaele on April 11 and 12, 2026. Umeda draws on the traditions of classical Japanese Jiutamai dance, an art form from the 19th century that in Japan was performed exclusively by women.
Image Caption: © Pat Mic
In RAPEFLOWER, Hana Umeda draws on the traditions of classical Japanese Jiutamai dance, an art form from the 19th century that in Japan was practiced exclusively by women. For many of them, the dance was associated with experiences of violence, as they were subjected to sexual assaults in small rooms during private performances.
Drawing from her personal history and the Jiutamai tradition, Umeda reflects on whether dance or theatre can become a space for emancipation and healing.
RAPEFLOWER is an investigation that takes place within the body itself. It is within the body—not in the discursive space—that experiences of sexual violence, both personal and inherited or learned, intertwine with strategies of defense and survival. This is a story about rape as a condition, rather than a singular event.
Identifying as a survivor often means remaining silent. To avoid becoming an object of pity, one makes oneself invisible. Avoiding confrontation with the experience of rape can lead to a compulsion to repeat the traumatic situation in a search for lost control.
The movement, the tension of the body, its confinement, and its paralysis—all of this is reflected in the Jiutamai body and is continuously passed on by masters to the next generations of female dancers.
WHEN?
Event Dates: Saturday, 11. April until Sunday, 12. April 2026
WHERE?
Sophiensæle (Hochzeitssaal)
Sophienstraße 18
10178 Berlin
