Rapeflower by Japanese-Polish choreographer Hana Umeda explores experiences of sexual violence. Umeda approaches rape as a transcultural weapon used to control women’s bodies. In a striking fusion of traditional Japanese jiutamai and contemporary performance, she portrays rape as a psychosomatic condition shaped by trauma, survival strategies, and the possibility of beginning anew.

Umeda leads the audience through an emotional journey within her own body, a site of injury and objectification, but also of liberation, exploration, self-determination, and resistance. The performance seeks a language beyond taboo and sensationalism, and asks whether the stage can become a space for emancipation and healing.

Language: Polish with English subtitles.
Trigger warnings: nudity, strobe lighting, themes of rape and sexual assault.