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Odori: The World of Kabuki Dance
Japanese Classical Dance featuring master artists from Japan
April 10 and 11, 2010 - 7:30pm
Frederic Wood Theatre, UBC
Tickets prices are $25/$20 seniors/$15 students.
To purchase call the Theatre at UBC box office: 604.822.2678. Theatre at UBC website: www.theatre.ubc.ca
MEDIA CONTACT: Sabrina Furminger at 604.488.4474 or sabrinafurminger@yahoo.com
JAPANESE CLASSICAL DANCE COMMANDS THE STAGE IN ODORI: THE WORLD OF KABUKI DANCE
TomoeArts invites audiences to explore a Japanese classical art form rarely seen on the Vancouver stage. In Odori: The World of Kabuki Dance which runs April 10-11, 2010 at the Frederic Wood Theatre. Dance artists from Japan will introduce local audiences to odori, the evocative dance of kabuki theatre.
Kabuki theatre was the primary theatrical entertainment during Japan's Edo period (17th through 19th centuries), and odori was the dance form used in kabuki performances. Today, odori continues to charm audiences with intricate costumes, riveting characters, enthralling storylines and a vast array of moods. Many pieces within the odori repertoire are very much plays unto themselves, and the three master dancers TomoeArts is bringing from Japan: Fujima Shôgo, Izumi Tokuho, and Fujima Monyo, are masters of odori. Their participation in this project is a real treat for Vancouver audiences, and they will join TomoeArts' Artistic Director, Colleen Lanki (Fujima Sayû) in performing character-driven pieces from the odori repertoire.
The dances to be performed (in their entirety or in part):
- Matsu (The Pine Tree)
- Shiki no Yamamba (The Four Seasons Yamamba)
- Yashiki Musume (The Maiden of the Mansion)
- Tomo Yakko
The dances will be performed in full costume, wigs and make-up, provided by two master costumers, who are also coming from Japan.
Those wishing additional insight into the world of kabuki dance should be sure to attend a free lecture-demonstration by the master artists and guest scholar Dr. Julie Iezzi from the University of Hawaii's Department of Theatre and Dance. Dr. Iezzi's considerable relationship with kabuki covers the gamut from director to performer, translator to researcher. The lecture-demonstration will take place on April 9 at 7:30pm in the Frederic Wood Theatre.
For more information on workshops, demonstrations and displays connected to Odori click HERE.
Artist Biographies
FUJIMA ShôgoFujima Shôgo was born into a family of professional nihon buyoh dancers, and trained by his mother Fujima Shôhô. His first stage appearance was when he was only three years old and took a professional name in 1985, at the age of 25. He also has a degree in performing arts from Tamagawa University, and toured to London and the Edinburgh Fringe. He has been teaching and performing nihon buyoh for over two decades, touring internationally to Thailand, China, Belgium and Denmark (working with Eugenio Barba), Poland, and England. Fujima Shôgo is also a founding member of "Ko-no-Kai" a group consisting of male professional nihon buyoh dancers from a mix of the major buyoh schools/traditions. The group does contemporary choreographies based on buyoh forms often using contemporary music and has recently won a national award. See: www.konokai.com for examples of this work.
IZUMI Tokuho - performer
Izumi Tokuho's first stage appearance was when he was three years old and took his professional name in 1985 at the age of 16. He became a licensed teacher when he was 19 and has been producing and performing in dance concerts for the past 20 years. He has won multiple awards from the Japanese Classical Dance Association for his teaching and performing. Tokuho specializes in onnagata or female roles and is a member of "Ko-no-Kai" with Fujima Shôgo.
FUJIMA Monyo - performer
Fujima Monyo was born into a professional nihon buyoh family had his first performance at age 12, training under the late master Fujima Monjuro, taking a professional name in 1982 and receiving a master teacher license in 1992. He performs regularly and has won awards from the National Japanese Classical Dance Association.
Dr. Julie Iezzi - guest scholar and lecture demonstration
Dr. Julie A. Iezzi is an Associate Professor in the University of Hawai'i Dept. of Theatre and Dance, where she primarily teaches Japanese and contemporary Asian theatre, and directs English-language kyogen and kabuki productions. She has spent more than 14 years studying traditional theatre and musical forms in Japan, performing in both the US and Japan as an actor and musician. Her kabuki and kyogen translations have been performed in Hawaii and Maryland, and published in the Asian Theatre Journal and the Kabuki On Stage Series (University of Hawaii Press). Her research interests range from Meiji Japan performing arts to narrative theatre traditions throughout Asia, and she is currently working on a bilingual dvd of tokiwazu, a traditional narrative genre used in kabuki.
