Tokyo Dolores

Performance Research Since 2012

Founded in 2012, Tokyo Dolores is an ongoing performance research project
created by Cay Izumi and Taka Matsushita.
Through dance, aerial performance, visual installation, and live technology,
the project explores the relationship between body, soul, memory, and the shifting conditions of contemporary life.

Two female pole dancers performing acrobatics on a stage with dark background, illuminated by colorful lights.
Performance by Tokyo Dolores at Lucca Comics & Games, Italy. A multidisciplinary stage work combining aerial movement, theatrical storytelling, and contemporary performance.
ene from a Tokyo Dolores performance presented at Lucca Comics & Games. The work blends Japanese visual aesthetics, physical theatre, and contemporary performance art.

Lucca Comics & Games

Scene from Akazukin, a physical theatre work by Tokyo Dolores exploring distortion, isolation, and the psychological tensions of contemporary society through movement and visual imagery.

Akazukin ~ Dear My Red Hunter~

Scene from Whale in the Deep Sea, an interdisciplinary performance by Tokyo Dolores combining aerial movement, visual imagery, and contemporary dance. The work explores isolation and the search for connection in contemporary society.
Scene from Whale in the Deep Sea. Through aerial performance and projected imagery, the work depicts an encounter between a solitary human figure and the symbolic presence of a whale.

Deap Sea Whale

Scene from Whale in the Deep Sea, an interdisciplinary performance by Tokyo Dolores combining aerial movement, visual imagery, and contemporary dance.　An aerial hoop performance expressing the ways language, social expectations, and invisible structu
A stage performance featuring dancers with wires and cables. The dancers are in dynamic poses, with one lifting her leg high and another sitting on the stage. The stage has colorful overhead lighting and a brick wall background.

Giant Da Vinci

A woman dressed in a black costume with long black cables tangled around her, holding onto a large structure above her head, standing on a stage with a galaxy-themed background.
Bionic Trigger by Tokyo Dolores, an anime-inspired performance combining pole dance, visual effects, and physical theatre. Presented at venues including Lucca Comics & Games, the work explores a battle between a new form of humanity and the fixed con

Bionic Trigger : ZEGA Joypois

Bionic Trigger by Tokyo Dolores, an anime-inspired performance combining pole dance, visual effects, and physical theatre. Presented at venues including Lucca Comics & Games, the work explores a battle between a new form of humanity and the fixed con
The Sand Castle by Tokyo Dolores, a performance combining pole dance and visual effects. The work explores how identities, ideals, and personal worlds are constructed and dissolved within the accelerating culture of social media.

Cyber-Zen

Cyber Zen by Tokyo Dolores, an interdisciplinary performance combining pole dance, visual projection, and live didgeridoo. The work explores the possibility of coexistence between digital technology and the Zen concept of emptiness and stillness.
Aozukin by Tokyo Dolores, a performance inspired by Ueda Akinari's tale from Ugetsu Monogatari. Combining physical theatre, Buddhist chanting, shamisen, and movement, the work explores desire, attachment, madness, and the figure of the oni in Japanes

AoZukin

Kojiki by Tokyo Dolores, a performance inspired by the Japanese creation myth. Through movement, aerial performance, and visual imagery, the work explores the relationship between humanity, nature, and the invisible forces that shape the world.

Kojiki ~Japanese Mythorogy~

Works

  • A woman performing on an aerial hoop, also known as a Lyra, in a dimly lit indoor space with a blue hue. She is holding onto the hoop with one hand and the other arm extended outward, with her head tilted back and curly hair falling down. She wears black pants, a sleeveless top, and a scarf around her waist.

    Souls

    Tokyo, NY | Premiered 2026

    An interdisciplinary work exploring the invisible relationship between body, memory, and soul.

    Explore
  • Two performers, one bald and dressed in traditional robes and the other with short hair, are on stage in a dimly lit setting resembling a theatrical or dance performance on a dark, textured background.

    Aozukin

    Tokyo, Sapporo, Kiryu | 2022–2024

    Inspired by Ugetsu Monogatari, Ao Zukin explores the fragile boundary between madness, ritual, and transformation through movement, chanting, and live shamisen.

    Read Bio
  • Two aerial performers are engaging in a performance involving aerial silks and a trapeze. One performer, suspended upside down, is hanging from a trapeze, while the other performer, seated on the ground, is holding and supporting the first performer with a looped cloth. The scene takes place in a dimly lit room with stage lighting.

    Deep Sea Whoale

    Tokyo, Tomakomai | 2023 - 2024

    Deep-Sea Whale explores the resonance between the human soul and the unseen depths within. Through contemporary dance and aerial hoop, the work questions what modern life has taught us to forget—and what still waits in the silence below.

    Explore
  • A circus performer lying on a platform wheel, holding a stick, and reaching out towards a young girl standing on the stage. The background features a starry sky projection.

    Red Ridding Hood - Dear My Red Hunter

    Tokyo, Yokosuka | 2012 - 2022

    Red Ridding Hood - Dear My Red Hunter - reimagines the classic fairy tale as a journey into shadow, desire, and self-discovery. Through dance, pole movement, and visual storytelling, the work asks whether confronting darkness is necessary to become fully oneself.

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Philosophy

Core Statement

The body is not a tool for expression.
It is where memory, contradiction, pain, beauty, and soul take form.

Core Elements

  • Body as Interface

  • Imperfection as Truth

  • Presence over Perfection

  • Life as Performance

Timeline

A female dancer performing on a dark stage, illuminated by a spotlight, with her arms extended and one leg raised in a dance pose.

2011

Tokyo Dolores founded in Tokyo.
Research begins through contemporary dance, theatrical movement and visual effects.

Lucca Comics & Games - Main Stage / Italy
Elize ~ Marmaid~ / Tokyo
Red Riding Hood / Tokyo

2012–2019

Expansion into visual installation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and immersive staging.

Udine Far East Film Festival - Guest Performance / Italy
Kojiki - Story Based Japanese Mythology / Tokyo, Italy
Bionic Trigger - Anime style battle show / Tokyo, NY, Italy
Seeker / Tokyo

2020–2024

Exploration of digital presence, documentation, and hybrid performance forms.

Cyber Zen
Perspective of the World
Ao Zukin
Deep-Sea Whale

2025–Present

International expansion between Tokyo and New York City.
A deeper focus on body, soul, and cultural translation.

LotusNova / NY
Ideal Drop / NY
Souls / Tokyo

Tokyo Dolores