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Eri Majima - Strangefruit Theatre Ensemble - Medecine Wheel - Harupin Ha - East Wind - 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors - Manasku no Kai - Peace Dreams |
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September 20th & 21st, 2004 Kizashi - (Uncertain future) Kizashi is "seeing glimpses of something we cannot bring into shape. It is a start". Eri Majima Eri Majima returns to Noh Space to offer her latest innovative and electric dance work - Kizashi (Uncertain Future). A contemporary dancer with Butoh aesthetics, Eri abandons traditional form and discovers new ways to express through movement. In Kizashi, Eri joins acclaimed musicians Philip Gelb (Shakuhachi) and Joelle Leandre (Contrabass) on a brilliant set designed by visiting Japanese artist Takako Tomura with a modern technological edge provided by collaborator Tim Perkis. Eri Majima:
Contemporary Dancer (from Japan) |
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"No one
sees me changing. Joe Bousquet |
August 23rd & 24th, 2004 Strangefruit Theatre Ensemble in Veils/Vestiges Created
and performed by
Annie Kunjappy, Temple Crocker, Rowena Richie Lighting
Design by Tom Ontiveros Strangefruit Theater Ensemble invites you behind the curtain into a theatrical exploratorium of the mysteries and catastrophes of the human heart. Strangefruit is an experimental theater company founded in 1995 and is dedicated to the creation of plays using texts from other genres such as poetry, short stories, memoirs and interviews. |
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July 12th & 13th, 2004
The Water Bearers Choreographer:
John Michael Doyle "We are the pain and what cures the pain. We are the sweet, cold water and the jar that pours it." Rumi The Water Bearers celebrates our fluid nature and the generative spirals within us. |
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May 17th & 18th, 2004 Butoh
Masters Koichi and Hiroko Tamano Seirei /Spirits of Nature In dance as in life the Tamano's aim is to grasp at something basic and universal that immediately is recognizable to each of us. The Tamano's have taught hundreds of workshops and paved the road for the first generation of American Butoh artists. The Tamanos create a landscape that evokes sensation and they have a magic way of expanding time into a dreamlike state; their movement comes from images sleeping deep inside the subconscious. Koichi Tamano was born in Shizuoka, Japan. From 1964 -1972 he studied with one of Butoh's founders, Tatsumi Hijikata. During that time he performed in the ground breaking works: Dance in the color of Rose and Rebellion of the Flesh. In 1972 Hijikata named Harupin-Ha Butoh Dance Theatre in Tokyo. Harupin -Ha means those who dance Butoh will achieve an awareness of being alive. The first Harupin-Ha performance was Finback Whale, and included some of Butoh's principal dancers. Tamano eventually came to California in 1976 as a part of the Japan Now exhibition. In 1978 Koichi with his wife Hiroko, and their daughter, Yura moved to Berkeley, California. Koichi has worked closely with numerous musicians, visual artists and designers. Most notably with Grammy award winning musician Kitaro, in their acclaimed collaboration Tamayura. Koichi is the Artistic Director and Choreographer of Harupin-Ha Butoh Dance Company and frequently performs solo and with various collaborators both in the US and Japan. Koichi is respected worldwide as a vital master of Butoh. |
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Hiroko
Tamano was born in Fukuoka
Japan. She joined Hijikata's dance company in 1971, shortly after Hijikata
started working extensively with female dancers. Hiroko Tamano's first
performances with Hijikata's group included Bye Love and SusumeDama
. Shortly thereafter she joined Harupin-Ha and has been a collaborator
with Koichi ever since. She is an active teacher and works each summer
at Wavy Gravy's Camp Winnarainbow.
Harupin-Ha is composed of various Bay Area dancers with Guest Dancers from Japan: Hiroko Sadamori and Sayaka Yokota.
With musical
accompaniment by Max Baloian - Accordion, Guitar, Banjo, Oud, Piano, Pump Organ, Toy Piano Craig Demel - Violin, Stroh Violin, Erhu Jason Ditzian - Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Tenor Sax, Alto Sax, Bamboo Sax Ali Tabatabai - Vocals, Saw, Percussion Rack, Flamingos Phil Williams - Vibraphone, Dumbek, Tar, Riq, Udu, Percussion Rack |
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April 26th & 27th, 2004 East Wind An Evening
of Classic Japanese Dances including: Takeno Nishikawa (Kabuki Dance) is a promising dancer of the Nishikawa School of San Francisco. She received a scholarship from the Japanese Cultural Ministry in 2001 to study for six months at the Nishikawa school's main location in Tokyo, Japan. She received the Nishikawa professional name from Japanese National Living Treasure, Senzo 10th in December 2001. She debuted with Mitsumen Komori at the National Theatre in Japan. Kinuko Mototake (Okinawan Dance) is an acclaimed dancer who has received three awards: The New Promising Dancer, The Excellent Talent and The Supreme Talent consecutively at Ryukyu Classic Dance Contest in Naha Okinawa, which is held every three years. The theme dance that is required for the Supreme Talent Contest is a male dance, Takadeira Manzai, which requires the most skillful gestures and movements. Yuki Fujima (Geisha Dance) (whose name is Kumiko Sakamoto in the Okinawan Dance) performed Japanese Four Seasons - an Evening of Jiuta and Mai with two other Geisha dancers at Noh Space in April 2002. In Japantown's annual Sakura Festival, she has appeared as a Geisha dancer with Miyabi-kai, a Japanese classical music group. Fujima competed in the Okinawa/Ryukyu Classic Dance Contest and received the auspicious New Promising Dancer Award, with a female dance, Kashikaki. Kotoist, Shoko Hikage is both a classical Koto player and also well known as an experimentalist, who creates a modern sense with her music. She regularly performs as a soloist and in collaboration with a range of artists. For East Wind she plays both Koto and Shamisen.
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February 16th & 17th, 2004 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors The world's most phsycotic asian american sketch comedy group in the world premiere of their The Asians are Killing our Tour! This February Yugen Presents features The 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors and their world premiere of The Asians are Killing our Tour; a new sketch comedy show with all the wit, sarcasm and outrageousness that theyÕre known for. Fresh from the San Francisco Sketch Festival, the worldÕs most psychotic Asian American comedy ensemble has developed new material to burst into the new year like the dancing monkeys that they are and celebrate the next five years of the Bush regime! |
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The 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors are a pan-Asian American theatrical comedy group. Through a dozen original productions and nationwide touring, the group has established itself as a new force in Asian Pacific Islander American arts. Steeped in the media chaos that numbs this nation's senses, and drawing from sources as diverse as: Hong Kong cinema, Monty PythonÕs Flying Circus and Saturday Night Live; The 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors use a fast-paced cinematic approach to live theater in order to entertain and provoke thoughts about the issues that affect Asian Pacific Islander Americans and society in general. "...the Mighty Mountain Warriors demonstrate more than a searing, spot-on read of American culture through a particular ethnic lens; they're a first-rate comedic troupe, full of versatility and verve." - Robert Avila, Guardian |
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December0 6th & 7th - 2003 Special Presentation at the Herbst Theatre! Mansaku-no-kai Kyogen Theatre company from Japan |
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Braun questions, "Why no think big? Peace Dreams aims to enrich our collective attraction to nature, peace and justice." |
October 13th & 14th - 2003 Peace Dreams Christina Braun leads a collection of Bay Area Butoh dancers, musicians, and spoken word artists in a new staging of Peace Dreams. Come experience the waking dream of Christina Braun and her beloved co-conspirators against fear. San Francisco based dancer/choreographer Christina Braun has gathered friends from the Butoh dance and experimental music communities to create a new work on the theme of Peace. Peace Dreams is an evening of Butoh Dance Theatre that has been created collectively by the dancers, composer Shigeki Asakawa and artist/poet Minori Yata. The performers involved in Peace Dreams intend to promote peace through the beauty of music, the ritual of theatre, and the symbolic language of dance. Braun believes that "the transformative power of art is the best we have to offer the community." The Peace Dreams project is dedicated to deepening both the audience and performer's resistance to war and fear. Christina Braun (Choreographer / Director / Dancer ) loves to watch, study, teach, create and perform Dance. Christina has been performing dances since the age of six. After earning a BA in Dance, Christina found Isadora Duncan Repertory Dance and Butoh Dance Theatre to be abiding passions in her life. Christina has been a company member of Mary Sano and her Duncan Dancers since 1997. Katsura Kan, Takami, Collapsing Silence and Ann Cogley are some of the performing artists Christina has performed with. Christina performs with Harupin-Ha Butoh Dance Company and the collective group Tenement. Thanks to the San Francisco Butoh Festival, Christina enjoyed intensive workshops with Butoh dance artists :Diego Pinon, Yumiko Yoshioka, Anzu Furukawa and Akira Kasai. In Japan, she practiced with Kazuo and his son Yoshito Ohno, and Akiko Motofuji. Many happy hours have been spent training with local performers Shinichi Momo Koga, Judith Kajiwara, and Hiroko and Koichi Tamano. All of these wonderful experiences live in Christina's mind, heart and body; enriching her choreographic work. Shigeki Asakawa (Composer / Musician) creates experimental sounds for Butoh Dance and Poetry in Space with many performing artists. He performed with Koichi Tamano's Harupin-Ha in 1995 and 2000 as part of the S.F. Butoh Festival. Most recently, he produced the C.D. Blue Lotus. Minori Yata (Art Installation / Peace Poetry) has been promoting peace through her visual art, writing, teaching and spoken word performance in California since 1990. This past summer at the World Beat Center in San Diego, Minori exhibited her newest paintings in a solo show entitled Unwritten Spectrum. Ronnie Baker (Dancer / Collaborator) performs with Tenement and Harupin-Ha Butoh Dance Company. He is grateful for the tutelage of Hiroko and Koichi Tamano, Shinichi Momo Koga and Judith Kajiwara. Melusina Llama'azul (Dancer / Collaborator) is a native Bay Area dance and theatre artist whose passion is mythic storytelling through the mediums of movement, poetry and mask. Melusina is a graduate of the San Francisco Circus Center's Clown Conservatory. She has studied Butoh with Katsura Kan, Shinichi Momo Koga, and Yuko Kaseki. Last spring, she performed with Takami's Modern Butoh group Toumei. Melusina is a member of the artist's ensemble Phoenix Fire Productions. Martha Matsuda (Dancer / Collaborator) has traveled from Canada to Mexico since 1994 to study and perform Butoh. She has performed the work of Mexican Butoh artist, Diego Pinon. Martha has also performed with Harupin-Ha Butoh Dance Company and Metropolitan Butoh. In both solo and collaborative work Martha seeks the transformative power of Butoh. Delphine Kini Mei (Dancer / Collaborator) has been certified in Dance/Theatre from the National Institute of Arts in Asia and is a graduate of U. of I.' s Fine Art program. Her choreographic work has been reviewed as "visually stunning" in Dance Magazine. Delphine is a mask-dance practitioner, actress, singer and free-lance translator. Her peace work began at age 14 in an Asian refugee camp. Delphine thanks everyone who brings broken pieces into a garden of peace. Bob Webb (Dancer / Collaborator) has been involved in the performing arts for most of his life. He is a stage manager, director, actor and artist's model. He performs with Harupin-Ha Butoh Dance Company, Barely Human Dance Theatre and occasionally performs with Deborah Slater Dance Theatre, Kunst-Stoff and Word for Word |
