performance

INI Summer Intensive 2023

This is just a quick reminder about the International Noh Institute’s 2023 Summer Intensive Program, scheduled to be held in Kyoto this July. After a long gap due to the pandemic, Japan has reopened its borders, and it is now possible to travel in and out of the country with relative ease. Please consider applying and/on pass on the information to those whom you think may be interested.

Call for participants – INI Kyoto Summer Intensive 2023

The INI – International Noh Institute is now accepting applications for its 2023 Summer Intensive Program

Who can apply?

Anyone interested in studying nō chant and/or dance. There is no age limit, and previous knowledge is not required. The course is taught by English-speaking Japanese instructors.

What will participants learn?

Participants will study nō dance and chant according to the Kongō school tradition, and learn about various aspects of nō performance, including masks and costumes. The training period will culminate with a public recital alongside professional actors on a nō stage located within a gorgeous Kyoto-style traditional townhouse.

How does training work?

Nō classes take place daily, in the morning, or in the early afternoon. Every day you will be coached by one of our instructors, and you will be encouraged to practice independently in preparation for the following class. (A day-to-day calendar will be announced after the selection is complete).

What makes studying with the INI unique? 

The intimate environment in which lessons take place, reflecting the traditional nō training style, allows students to interact directly with the teachers. Lessons comprise both group work and one-to-one coaching.

For this 2023 edition of our Summer Intensive, the INI will collaborate with Discover Noh in Kyoto. Participants will be given the opportunity to explore Kyoto with a professional tour guide, discovering the deep connections between nō and the city.

Program highlights

  • Train intensively in noh dance and chant. 
  • Practice in a small group for an immersive experience.
  • Perform alongside professional actors.
  • Watch noh performances on traditional stages.
  • Visit noh-related historical locations.
  • Experience living in the ancient capital, Kyoto.

Program details

  • Training period : July 10-23, 2023
  • Recital: July 23
  • Fees: Regular ¥80,000 Student ¥60,000 (includes graduate students)
  • Capacity: 6 participants

Fees include : Dance/chant lessons, materials, Kongō school nō fan, participation in the final recital, and a certificate of completion. Fees do not include: White tabi (split-toe socks), transportation, accommodation, and any other personal expenses.

Instructors: Udaka Tatsushige, Udaka Norishige (Kongō school actors), Udaka Keiko (nō mask carver) 

Coordinator: Diego Pellecchia (Kyoto Sangyō University, Certified Kongō school instructor)

How to apply

  • Send an email to ini.kyoto[at]gmail.com attaching the following documents:
  • Your Curriculum Vitae
  • A brief statement of interest (around 300 words)

Application deadline: May, 22nd 2023. Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application by May, 29th 2023.

For more information about the program contact us.

2022 Kei’un-kai Summer Recital

On July 24 2022 (Sun) the 2022 Kei’un-kai Summer Recital will be held at Kurochiku Momochitaru-kan, a beautiful traditional house off Shinmachi-dōri, in the heart of Kyoto. There is a proper nō stage on the second floor of the building. Coincidentially, the second round of Gion matsuri floats parade is scheduled for this day, and I expect the neighborhood to be in a high festive mood. Yet, this day marks the end of the great festival celebrations: the floats will be taken apart and stored away until next year. This is the first proper Gion matsuri celebration we will have since the pandemic, so I am very much looking forward to it.

This year’s Summer Recital will be rather small, because it is still difficult for some to move with ease across busy train stations, or join events that may include eating/drinking. Also, it is still basically impossible for people abroad to come to Japan, unless they hold a work or study visa. Thankfully, INI members / Summer Intensive participants who are already in Japan will be able to join the recital.

Students from the Kyoto Sangyo University nō club will also participate.

I am going to perform the kiri of the nō Funa Benkei. This is a rather difficult piece involving numerous complex movements with a naginata, as well as lots of jumping and twisting here and there. Fun, but tiring, especially this season.

The First Udaka Michishige Memorial performance event / Maibayashi “Kantan”

English and Italian follow Japanese

8月22日（日曜日）故 宇髙通成一周忌追善会「景雲会大会」にて舞囃子〈邯鄲〉を金剛流師範として勤めさせていただきます。通成先生は芸術として能を稽古するだけではなく、能を通じて人生を新たな視点から見る方法を教えてくれました。私たちにとってこの日は通成先生にもう一度感謝を伝える大事な機会となります。皆様のご来場を心よりお待ち申し上げます。

I’m happy to announce that, on August 22 (Sun) 2021 I will perform the maibayashi excerpt from the nō play “Kantan” on the occasion of the first Udaka Michishige Memorial Performance event at the Kongō Nō Theatre in Kyoto.

This will be my first performance as “shihan” (licensed instructor) of the Kongō School. Michishige-sensei took care of my shihan license application in 2020, from his hospital bed. Though the illness weakened him, he took care of his students until the very last moment. This day will be an important chance for us to express our gratitude to Michishige-sensei, whose work showed us a way we see nō not only as art, but as a way to see life. I hope you will join us on this special day! The event begins at 11:00 with various dance excerpts. I will perform at around 12:45.

Sono felice di annunciare che, Domenica 22 Agosto 2021 parteciperò alla prima performance in memoria del Maestro Udaka Michishige con un maibayashi estratto dal dramma nō “Kantan” presso il Teatro Nō Kongō, a Kyoto.

Questa sara’ la mia prima performance in qualità di “shihan” (istruttore certificato) della scuola Kongō. Il Maestro Michishige si prese cura della mia domanda di certificazione nell’inverno del 2020, dal suo letto di ospedale. Nonostante la malattia lo avesse indebolito, il Maestro si prese cura dei suoi studenti fino all’ultimo momento. Questo giorno sarà un’opportunità per esprimere nuovamente la nostra gratitudine al Maestro Michishige, il cui lavoro ci ha mostrato un modo di vedere il nō non solo come arte, ma anche come vita.

Video del nō “Shōjō” con sottotitoli in italiano

The video of Udaka Tatsushige’s full performance of the nō play Shōjō with English and Italian subtitles is now available online.

Sono molto felice di condividere con voi il video completo del nō Shōjō (猩々), con sottotitoli in inglese e in italiano! La performance e’ prodotta da Udaka Tatsushige e Norishige, ed e’ stata filmata nell’autunno del 2020 presso il teatro della Scuola Kongō, a Kyoto. Il ruolo di protagonista (shite) e’ interpretato da Udaka Tatsushige.

In occasione della pubblicazione di questo video ho avuto il piacere di tradurre il testo del nō e ho deciso di approfittarne per studiare questo brano approfonditamente. Spero di poter pubblicare presto i risultati della mia piccola ricerca in italiano. Anche un dramma breve e apparentemente semplice come Shōjō e’ in realtà molto denso di significati e ricco rimandi a leggende e tradizioni. Purtroppo il formato “video con sottotitoli” non permette di aggiungere le note, supporto indispensabile per apprezzare appieno la molteciplità di significati che ciascun verso contiene. Nella mia traduzione ho cercato di rendere il testo comprensibile anche senza un apparato critico. Aggiungo una breve introduzione e vi auguro buona visione! (Non dimenticate di attivare i sottotitoli in italiano. Se non sapete come fare, leggete qui).

La storia del nō Shōjō è ambientata nella Cina della Dinastia Tang (secoli VII-X). Un uomo di nome Kōfu vive alle pendici del monte Kanekin, nei pressi del villaggio di Yōzu. Kōfu racconta di essere molto devoto ai suoi genitori – la pietà filiale (kōkō 孝行) è una delle virtù centrali del pensiero Confuciano, fondamento etico della società giapponese. Kōfu riceve in sogno un oracolo nel quale i genitori gli suggeriscono di andare al mercato e vendere il sakè. Lui segue diligentemente il consiglio dei genitori, apre un negozio di vino, e si arricchisce. A un certo punto, un misterioso avventore prende a visitare il negozio di Kōfu. Dice di essere “Shōjō” e di venire dal mare. Incuriosito, Kōfu si reca alla baia e attende la nuova venuta di Shōjō, il quale presto emerge dall’acqua. Kōfu e Shōjō bevono insieme, elogiando le virtù del sakè, e Shōjō celebra questo incontro con una danza. Infine, Shōjō premia Kōfu donandogli una giara di vino inesauribile, prova della sua virtù e allo stesso tempo, in termini più pragmatici, assicurazione di prosperità economica per i suoi discendenti.

Fra i molti temi che varrebbe la pena commentare, vorrei soffermarmi brevemente sull’associazione fra sakè e crisantemi, ricorrente nel testo di questo nō. Secondo una tradizione di origine cinese, durante la notte i fiori di crisantemo venivano coperti da pezze di cotone per poter raccogliere la rugiada depositata su di essi il mattino seguente. Si credeva che cospargersi il corpo con questa rugiada profumata potesse allungare la vita o curare le malattie. Questo rito veniva svolto il nono giorno del nono mese del calendario lunare. Tale giorno, noto come chōyō no sekku, era una delle cinque festività stagionali. [1] Nel periodo Heian (secoli VIII-XII) l’aristocrazia giapponese usava festeggiare questo giorno con un banchetto durante il quale si beveva sakè nel quale erano stati immersi fiori di crisantemo. La festa divenne quindi associata al sakè, ma anche alla stagione della raccolta del riso, con il quale si prepara questo vino. [2] Il crisantemo e la luna, simbolo di purezza e di sincerità, sono elementi tradizionalmente associati all’autunno. Il colore rosso, che caratterizza il costume di Shōjō, allude non solo al suo possibile stato di ebrezza, ma anche ai colori del fogliame autunnale. La veste interna surihaku e la gonna-pantalone hakama sono decorate con motivi di onde in oro su fondo rosso, mentre il kimono broccato karaori è ricco di motivi floreali fra cui sono evidenti, appunto, crisantemi di vari colori.

[1] Il significato simbolico della data e’ il seguente: il numero 9, segno dispari, quindi “positivo” (yang) e indivisible e’ il numero a singola cifra più grande. La ripetizione del 9 rende il nono giorno del nono mese il giorno più “yang” dell’anno.

[2] Questa leggenda compare in un altro nō, Kiku jidō (o Makura jidō).

Noh performances during 2020 Tokyo Olympics announced

The program for the Nogaku festival, a series of performances organized by the Nohgaku Performers’ Association to be held during the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, has been announced (Japanese only – for now). The performances are part of the larger Tokyo 2020 Nippon Festival, starting in April and ending in September.

The program features full nō and kyōgen performances but also recital versions of plays, allowing the audience to enjoy a wide variety of characters but also of performers. Looking at the list of performances, I am glad to notice that, in addition to the “usual suspects” – leading performers from the various nō and kyōgen schools which were announced back in August 2019 – female performers will also join the roster of superstar actors. They are Uzawa Hisa, Saeki Kikuko (Kanze school), and Kashiwayama Satoko (Hōshō school).

Three performances in a program of about forty plays (including kyōgen) may seem like a relatively small number, but considering the very little exposure female actors get I would accept it as an effort of the Nohgaku Performers’ Association to represent the spirit of inclusivity on which the Olympic and Paralympic Games are based. Let’s hope to see some female performers among the musicians, too!

3D Nō in Venice

An interesting format. One nō actor dancing and singing on stage. Behind him, projections that come to life when seen with special 3D glasses. Of course, music and chorus are not live, but a recorded track.

While kyōgen shows features a minimum of two actors, mounting a full nō performance requires some twenty people. The minimum for dance with music and chorus would be 6-7 people, up to 10 if the actor is in costume and mask. A format that works well in Japan, but is difficult to take abroad. Could 3D nō be a kind of ‘pocketable nō’, providing the audience with an authentic experience?

3D Nō Aoinoue, Funa Benkei in Venice. 7 May 2019 LINK (Italian)

Flowers of Performance: Noh workshops in Portland

Noh workshops and performances to be held in Portland September 29 – October 2, 2018

From the University of Oregon Center for Asian and Pacific Studies website:

The Center for Asian and Pacific Studies is pleased to present four days of events on Traditional Japanese Noh Theatre, to be held at the University of Oregon, the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, and the Portland Art Museum. The events, which will include performances and workshops, are to be led by TAKEDA Tomoyuki, an active performer from one of the most prestigious schools of Noh, the Kanze School. Established in the fourteenth century, Noh is characterized by austere simplicity of performance and profoundly poetic plots. In a series of four workshops (two of which will be accompanied by costumed performance), Takeda-sensei and his troupe will cover a range of topics from history, dance and chanting to costumes and masks. Audiences will have the opportunity to take part in a dance and chanting sequence, and to learn about costumes through dressing demonstrations.

Read the whole article here.

NohPoster_09-14-18

Events celebrating Noh actor Akira Matsui in London

noh_akiramatsuriNoh time like the present is a series of Noh-related performances taking place at LSO St. Luke in London 24 -25 February 2017, celebrating Kita-school actor Matsui Akira, one of the few professional Noh actors intensively participating in non-traditional performances. Matsui recently turned 70, just like Kanze-school shite actor Tsumura Reijirō, another pioneer of intercultural theatre emerging from the Noh world. My teacher, Kongō school actor Udaka Michishige, also turned 70 last year. A generation of Noh actors opening the doors of noh training to the ‘world outside tradition’.

All information and details are available on the Japan-UK Events Calendar website – here

“These two performances at LSO St Luke’s are a rare opportunity to experience the 650-year-old art of noh, and the genius of classical noh performer Akira Matsui, now age 70, in a bold collaboration with western opera, theatre, ballet, music and poetry. We are particularly pleased that this special programme will include ‘Rockaby’ by Samuel Beckett.

[…]

The project also includes a range of education activities ‘Getting to noh… more’, including a Seminar on Noh Theatre and Western Culture, at 6pm on 20 February 2017 at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, and a series of lecture-demonstrations on Noh Maskmaking, in partnership with The Japan Foundation, from 17-24 February 2017 in Norwich, Oxford, Durham, London, Southend and Dublin.”

— Diego Pellecchia

Thoughts on the forthcoming Kei’un-kai INI Gala Recital 2016

Next Sunday (August 21st) I will join the Kei’un-kai, INI Taikai Gala Recital celebrating Udaka Michishige’s 70th birthday. I am going to perform in a number of pieces, among which the shimai solo dance excerpt from the Noh Kurama Tengu. Although this is the only piece in which I will perform as a dancer, hence one may think it is the highlight of the day from my point of view, I am more concerned with practising the many other numbers in which I will sing as a member of the jiutai chorus.

IMG_6153
Kongo School chant books, and the program for the forthcoming recital.

As for Kurama Tengu, I have performed the maibayashi (longer excerpt with music) just a couple of weeks ago. For the Taikai recital I will perform the relatively shorter, latter part of the dance as shimai (solo excerpt to the accompaniment of a chorus of four, without music). In the Kongo school this shimai follows the choreography of the hakuto (‘white wig’) variation of the play, featuring complex kata sequences (movements). The play narrates the encounter between the boy Ushiwakamaru, who will later become the General Minamoto no Yoshitsune, and the Great Tengu of Mount Kurama. The Tengu, impressed by Yoshitsune’s courage, promises to train the boy in the martial arts, preparing him for his future battles against the rival Heike family, which he will eventually defeat. The difficulty of this dance lies in being able to make strong yet controlled movements, expressing the power as well as the stateliness and supernatural nature of the elder Tengu.
However, as I mentioned before, my major concern is not this dance, but rather the various other pieces in which I will serve as chorus member. Looking at the program from the beginning (9:00am) I am slated to sing in
  1. The chorus for Kami-uta, the recitation of the chant from the ritual performance Okina, often performed at the beginning of celebrations such as an important birthday. Difficulties: here Kami-uta serves as ‘opening ritual’ – we will perform with formal kamishimo. It is an honour for me to partake in this recitation.
  2. Immediately after Kami-uta I will perform in the su-utai solo chant recitation of the full Noh Shunkan, recounting the story of three men exiled to Kikai Island after they failed a coup attempt against Taira no Kiyomori. Two of them (tsure) are pardoned, while Shunkan (shite) has to remain on the island alone. I am going to take the role of one of the tsure, Taira no Yasuyori. However, in su-utai recitations singers chanting the part of shite, waki or tsure are also singing in the chorus. Difficulties involved in this: 1. Yasuyori and Naritsune (the other shite) get to sing long sections in unison. 2. Yasuyori reads the pardon letter – highly dramatic scene. 3. The chorus part in this play is particularly difficult.
  3. Chorus for a round of 12 different shimai. Difficulties: 1. shimai chant typically is faster and with shorter pauses compared to chant performed with music, putting more emphasis on adjusting the tempo to the shite’s acting. Without musicians as reference, being able to follow the chorus leader is crucial. 2. being the lowest in rank, I will be sitting upstage right, the farthest from the chorus leader (sitting upstage center-left). It will be more difficult to isolate and follow the leader’s voice while hearing one more voice to my left, as well as while producing a loud voice myself. 3. this round of shimai consists of basic pieces, but still, twelve assorted dances is a good number. It will be important to be able to quickly switch from mood to mood.
  4. Chorus for the maibayashi from the noh Tomoe, the only warrior piece in which the shite is a woman. Difficulties: 1. Tomoe is a long piece, featuring chant sections that range from melodic to dynamic, from poetic description to energetic narration. 2. A chorus for a maibayashi is typically composed of four members, meaning that individual mistakes are clearly heard. 3. Once more my position is the farthest from the chorus leader, yet the closest to the flute player (in this case Sugi Ichikazu-sensei, one of the highest ranking flute players in Kyoto), who will be able to hear every syllable slip or rhythmical inaccuracy. Sugi-sensei listening to my chant is on my mind every time I practice Tomoe 🙂
  5. Chorus for the full Noh Sesshoseki – nyotai (The Death Stone). This is the second time I sing in the chorus for this play, which is very useful as I understand the development of the mood of the play better. Difficulties: 1. downside of having sung the play already: my position is not the lowest. I am now sitting to the extreme left of the front row, meaning that I am the closest to the audience, as well as to the waki who will be sitting in the downstage left corner for most of the play. Luckily during our last training session in Matsuyama I could practice the chorus chant alone, while another students and Udaka-sensei would play the drums. Thiswas very useful for memorizing the ‘ma’, or pauses between phrases.
All in all, this is quite a bit of work for a non-professional like me. I am spending most of my practice time memorising chant. At the same time, I am very grateful to have so many chances to sing in such a great variety of pieces. 頑張ります！I’ll do my best!