Creation workshops
Creation workshops
Creation workshops
CRAFT serves as a platform dedicated to sharing creative tools and cultivated ideas. In addition to research within the creative process, the collective hosts cration workshops in various locations to dismantle and reconstruct previous works. By regenerating these into new forms, CRAFT ensures a constant circulation between research and artistry.
This is not merely a sharing of repertoire. By collaborating with local artists and engaging with the diverse bodies and materials encountered in each location, the collective dismantles and rebuilds that repertoire anew. We share the very essence of CRAFT’s creative process: the power to breathe new meaning into objects and to give physical form to invisible relationships through the interaction of bodies and materials. Through this process of "iteration", every performance transcends being a final product; instead, it becomes a project akin to a living organism—one where ideas continue to evolve and transform.
Case Study: SKUMITATE -Demonstrating How “researchers platform” Works
Ultimately, all of CRAFT’s activities are interconnected. We present the SKUMITATE project here to demonstrate exactly how our platform functions. By tracing its evolution, we illustrate our core methodology in action: "transformation through relationship," "continuous research," and the "dismantling and reconstruction" of repertoire. Examining CRAFT’s role as a research platform provides clear evidence of how the collective has realized eleven original performances in just five years.
The SKUMITATE project originated as the duo performance SEBONE in 2022. Since this prototype, the work has remained far from a finished "product". Instead, it has continuously shifted its form through fluid encounters and departures. To date, the project has been inherited and evolved by over 50 collaborators, acting as a living entity that matures through transformation and succession.
Continuity, Inheritance, and the Power of "Mitate"
At the heart of CRAFT lies continuous research. The seeds of SKUMITATE began with a single branch found in a forest. During the initial research phase, Takuya processed this organic branch into a "white cane", developing a unique movement language born from the interplay between its organic shape and the human body. Inspired by an encounter with puppeteer Alexander Hopman Lilja, Takuya began crafting his own puppets to integrate into the work. This hands-on approach led to the creation of SEBONE, a duo performed by Takuya and Beda Åsbrink, which utilised these self-made, life-sized puppets, suitcases, and the cane.
The project then transformed into SKUMITATE - IN PROGRESS (2023), collaborating with tap dancer Gustav Borehed and musician Emiliano Sacripanti. This marked CRAFT’s first collaboration with both a dedicated musician and a dancer from a different discipline. The experience was a profound encounter with the stark differences in "language" between specialised fields, marking the beginning of a deep exploration into communication methods. In this iteration, the puppets were replaced by 12 branches that Takuya hand-crafted to serve as marionette strings, a prison, or time itself—visualising the reciprocal influence of four dancers and live music.
Building on this, CRAFT conducted its first residency and creation workshop as an outreach project in Kogane4422 (Nagoya, Japan). Drawing from the ideas and structure of SKUMITATE -IN PROGRESS, the project involved reconstructing previous work and creating a new 30-minute short piece with local dancers. Together with the performers, we gathered branches from a local forest to craft white canes. Through the sharing of creation methods and intensive research, the outcome was presented at Kogane4422 to great acclaim.
This was a pivotal moment—uncovering the profound potential in the circulation of research, creation, and workshops. This breakthrough was then carried forward into the next iteration: SKUMITATE (2024).
The new core of the project became a fundamental question: "What defines a puppet?" Working with textile designer Shogo Hirata, the team drew inspiration from the haunting presence of puppets and the inherent "strangeness" of inorganic matter. This led to the creation of three iconic jackets that serve simultaneously as costumes and as puppets. We conducted exhaustive research of these materials, exploring how to breathe a sense of life into the inanimate. This rigorous exploration of the "boundary between object and body" has become the wellspring of CRAFT’s unique choreographic language.
It was also at this time that Alexander Hopman Lilja and Endre Schumicky (Irish dance) joined the cast, creating a state where every performer brought a different discipline to the table. This creation solidified CRAFT’s unique methodology: a process of digging into the unique individuality of each collaborator—including the inherent friction and negotiation—to spin a new common language. Takuya refers to this essential process as "translation".
Subsequently, a second outreach project took place at Dance Base Yokohama (DaBY). Focusing on research into the jackets, CRAFT worked with diverse performers—including contemporary, tap, stunt, and capoeira—to dismantle and reconstruct SKUMITATE. The project concluded with a public showing and an after-talk session. The event sparked a dynamic discussion on the contrasting creative environments and cultural mindsets of Northern Europe and Japan. This experience paved the way for the 2025 iteration: SKUMITATE -ärvda relationer byter skepnad.
In this phase, Mplulu Ntuve (street dance) joined the project. This created a new dynamic: a dialogue between disparate languages—Tap and Krump—that share common ancestral roots. As the Swedish subtitle suggests, the work was reborn—not merely as an inherited repertoire, but as a living entity undergoing profound transformation.
The Meaning of SKUMITATE
The project title, SKUMITATE, is a portmanteau of the Japanese word Mitate (the art of seeing one thing as another) and the Swedish Skum (foam/weird/alien). By layering the meanings of these two words, the phrase "the gaze of the outsider" emerged. Furthermore, when the alphabet of the title is read phonetically in Japanese, it creates an unintended auditory resonance. It evokes the command: "Stand up, even if you are frozen in fear" (Sukumi-tate). Within this serendipitous linguistic intersection, Takuya found a sense of hope.
The Evolution of SKUMITATE and Beyond
CRAFT’s sphere of activity has further expanded into the realm of education. By invitation from Balettakademien Göteborg, Takuya was commissioned to create the graduation performance for the final-year students. This marked the third phase of the SKUMITATE outreach project. Utilising the expertise cultivated through SKUMITATE, and centred on the theme of "shifting perspectives", Takuya created a new work with ten graduates and an original score by Emiliano Sacripanti. The title of this work, AMANEKU., is a Japanese archaic term meaning "universal" or "widespread", while simultaneously suggesting something "commonplace" or "found everywhere". The insights gained through this collaboration have evolved further, directly informing and reflecting the vision of the current project, COME WANDER WITH ME(2025-2026).
Dec 18, 2025: CRAFT/Takuya Fujisawa Selected for European Festivals Fund for Emerging Artists (EFFEA) Call #4
Takuya has been selected for the EFFEA Discovery category. Throughout 2026, he will collaborate with I Cento Passi (L'Aquila, Italy), Bairro X (Évora, Portugal), and the Gothenburg Dance and Theatre Festival (Sweden).
The upcoming schedule includes a partial performance of ”COME WANDER WITH ME” at Stora Teatern in Gothenburg as part of "West Coast Stage" in May. This will be followed by a workshop at Bairro X in June and a creation workshop at I Cento Passi in September, both led by Takuya for local artists. In turn, the host festivals will provide Takuya with professional development workshops focusing on networking, marketing, and artistic production. These residencies serve as a touchstone for future international collaborations; by focusing on local co-creation and discovering new collaborators, he aims to bring CRAFT's performances to these regions and build a foundation for long-term artistic partnerships.
CRAFT maintains an ongoing artistic exchange with Dance Base Yokohama (DaBY).
In December 2023, Takuya was invited to participate in "OpenLab DaBY Round Table Talk—Case Study: Creative Environments Abroad." Alongside other Japanese choreographers based in Europe and the Nordic regions, he joined a discussion exploring the structural and cultural differences between creative environments in Japan and Sweden.
The second phase of the SKUMITATE Outreach Project took place from December 23 to 28, 2024. Using "SKUMITATE" (premiered in March 2024) as a foundation, Takuya Fujisawa and Beda Åsbrink participated as facilitators from CRAFT, leading a creation workshop with local dancers.
While the previous 2023 residency at Kogane4422 focused on crafting scenography from local materials, this project featured three specially designed jackets—iconic elements of SKUMITATE that serve as both costume and mobile set pieces.
Rather than teaching a fixed repertoire, the workshop focused on collaborative creation based on improvisation and partnering. Takuya shared CRAFT’s signature research methods and training techniques with the participants. The project concluded on December 28 with a public showing and an after-talk session. The event sparked a dynamic discussion on the contrasting creative environments and cultural mindsets of Northern Europe and Japan.
The research cultivated through this exchange will be carried forward into the next iteration: SKUMITATE -ärvda relationer byter skepnad- (2025).
Moving forward, CRAFT and DaBY will continue to collaborate, serving as an artistic bridge between Sweden and Japan.
Creation workshop at Dancehouse Kogane4422(Nagoya) 2023/11/20-24
This creation workshop was presented as part of the SKUMITATE Outreach Project.
Drawing from the ideas and structure of SKUMITATE -in progress- (2022), the project involved reconstructing previous work and creating a new 30-minute short piece with local dancers. Together with the performers, we gathered branches from a local forest to craft white canes. Through the sharing of creation methods and intensive research, the outcome was presented at Dancehouse Kogane4422 to great acclaim.
The insights and knowledge cultivated through this process were subsequently carried forward into the premiere of "SKUMITATE" the following year. View SKUMITATE (2024)