On July 18th, a performance by the Aomori University Men's Rhythmic Gymnastics Club, planned by Issey Miyake, the founding designer of ISSEY MIYAKE, took place at the Yoyogi National Stadium Second Gymnasium in Tokyo. Men's rhythmic gymnastics is a sport that originated in Japan, where participants compete for beauty and artistry through spectacular tricks like backflips and somersaults, as well as speedy movements. Miyake was captivated by the performance of the Aomori University Men's Rhythmic Gymnastics Club, a powerhouse team that had won the All-Japan Student Championships 11 times in a row (as of 2012) and the All-Japan Championships for the fourth consecutive year and the ninth time, on a television news program, and came up with the idea for this project. The performance was directed and choreographed by Daniel Ezralow, a choreographer who will be in charge of the ceremony for next year's Sochi Olympics and who also worked on the Pleats Please fragrance launch dance performance. "I was inspired by the rhythmic gymnastics club members, the ocean of Aomori, and the creatures that inhabit it," he said. He added his own choreography to a routine created by head coach Yoshimitsu Nakata, creating a performance themed around "soaring bodies, soaring souls." The stage was likened to a large body of water, and the club members expressed the wonders of nature and the vibrant creatures of the sea. Other creatives involved included Yugo Nakamura for motion graphics, Open Reel Ensemble for music, Masato Hatanaka for music supervision, and Hiroyuki Nakano for documentary film direction. All 27 members of the club wore colorful pleated costumes designed by Issey Miyake, and performed a dynamic routine one after the other over the course of approximately one hour. The group performed a variety of individual tricks using rings and ropes, including a "dolphin jump" where they jumped like dolphins through a seascape of fabric, and a performance performed by all members of the club for the first time. The venue was filled with applause throughout the show. After the show, Nakata said, "Meeting Issey Miyake and hearing about his passion for clothing, I felt a connection with my own passion for gymnastics. I've always wanted to raise awareness of men's rhythmic gymnastics, so I'm really happy that such a large park has been chosen to host the event." Regarding the comfort of the costumes, he said, "They're very easy to move in and hold their shape well. Miyake-sensei sewed several fittings for me, and watching him stitch the stitches himself, it was as if he was putting his soul into each and every outfit." Issey Miyake's men's line, "HOMME PLISSE ISSEY MIYAKE," which is scheduled to launch this fall, was responsible for creating the costumes.