Tokyo exhibition: Dance in gallery on Thursday

On Thursday, my friend Yukio Konishi from Kobe will be performing a traditional kamigatamai dance in the gallery space for my " Wood Nymph and the Artist" exhibition. Please see details below.

I'm so looking forward to his interpretation of Kurokami. The theme, mood and hand gesturez, as well as the accompanying shakuhachi flute fit in very weelwith the wood nymph story. I will post pictures tomorrow.

If you are in the neighbourhood, please drop by the gallery at 17:00!

Tokyo street performances in Sangen-jaya

Last Saturday, I went to Sangen-jaya, an area of Tokyo, to see street performers.

I went specifically to see Dairakudakan, an internationally known butoh dance troupe who are based in Tokyo. They were performing "Gold-painting". James and I had the opportunity to see their performance of "Insects" last year at the Queen Elizabeth Thetre in Vancouver. They are coming back to Vancouver to perform "Paradise" in March 2017! Needless to say, we have already booked our tickets!

We met one of the troupe's dancers, Atsushi, in Vancouver. He will be attending my exhibition in Tokyo next week.

Mushi no Hoshi - Space Insect

Felt very privileged on March 21 to attend Darakudakan's butoh performance of Mushi no Hoshi with J at the Vancouver Playhouse. It was very dramatic and professionally presented. This was their only stop in North America. Even in Tokyo, where they live and work, it's difficult to take in one of their shows since they are few and far between.

The title, Mushi no hoshi, was translated as "Space Insects",  but I've seen it translated for their Paris performance as "Planet of Insects," which may be more accurate. The 30-year-old dance troupe gave it their all, with no intermission and several encores spurred on by a very enthusiastic crowd.

...With 22 surreal, shape-shifting dancers, other-worldly costumes and body-paint, and a spectacular set, Dairakudakan exemplifies the transformative power of butoh through its imaginative blend of theatre and dance. Mushi no Hoshi – Space Insect was choreographed by artistic director, Akaji Maro... ~ Vancouver International Dance Festival

Poster featuring Akaji Maro

More photos from their 2014 performance at La Maison de la culture du Japon in Paris.

Kokoro Dance: Life

Photo: Chris Randle
http://www.kokoro.ca

I had the opportunity to attend the October 12, 2013 performance of Life by Vancouver's Kokoro Dance company at the Roundhouse Performance Centre. Very inspiring! This was the first time I attended a butoh-inspired performance.

Barbara Bourget, Jay Hirabashi and the five other dancers gave a memorable interpretation of life "from the moment of birth to the instant of our passing."

Choreography by Barbara and Jay; set design by Kai Chan; music by Lee Pui Ming; costumes by Tsuneko Kokubo; lighting by Gerald King. All these elements meshed seamlessly to provide the audience with a captivating show!