Tag ‘Earth Celebration’
Thank You for Joining Us for Earth Celebration 2015!
Earth Celebration 2015
What a wonderful celebration! Thank you very much to everyone who came along and cheered us on! We really appreciate your support!
Earth Celebration 2016 will take place from Aug. 26 (Fri) through 28 (Sun). EC will be directly followed by local festival Ogi Minato Matsuri on Aug. 29–30. Next year, while there will not be any Shiroyama Concerts, the festival will focus on letting everyone enjoy the various wonders of Ogi and Sado Island together. Details will be announced in May 2016. See you all next summer on Sado Island!
▼Shots from Behind the Scenes at Shiroyama Park and of Okuri Daiko (Farewell Taiko)（From Kodo’s Japanese Facebook page)
※Please stay tuned for stage photos from the 2015 Shiroyama Concerts.
https://www.facebook.com/EarthCelebration
Kodo on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/KodoHeartbeat
Please stay tuned for stage photos from the 2015 Shiroyama Concerts.
“Murals by Seitaro Kuroda” by Kenta Nakagome
Seitaro Kuroda is coming back to Sado for the first time in twenty-something years… I wonder what it will be like when he sees his murals here again…
If you’re coming to EC, please have a look around Ogi for his pictures here and there. Here’s a map to help you find them!
▶Seitaro Kuroda Mural Map (PDF Download)
▼Above: Mural in 1988 on completion. Below: Same mural today
▼Above: Mural in 1988 on completion. Below: Same mural today
▼House-wall mural as seen today
[EC 2015] Seitaro Kuroda × Tatsuya Nakamura ×Kenta Nakagome Live Painting Performance “Flame”
http://www.kodo.or.jp/ec/en/event/fringe/flame/
This is an EC Special Fringe performance, so admission is free! See you there!
“Kodo Night!” by Shingo Kawamura
Join Us Next Week for Earth Celebration!
“Kodo Night” is the name of the first Shiroyama Concert this year, directed by Tsuyoshi Maeda. With powerful Kodo classics and exciting new pieces, it’s going to be an action-packed programme!
“An Invitation to ‘Yukiai–Kiyohime'” by Chieko Kojima
Earth Celebration 2015 EC Theatre
Chieko Kojima’s “Yukiai–Kiyohime”
On August 23, the third day of EC 2015, I cordially invite you to join me for EC Theatre event, “Yukiai–Kiyohime.” This year we published a Kiyohime photobook and I am also working on a DVD. I look forward to sharing the world of Kiyohime with more people around the world.
First, allow me to introduce the original cast members: Shunsuke Kimura (fue [flute], shamisen [Japanese banjo]), Shingo Ikegami (koto [harp]), Hiromi Nishida (violin), and Ayuko Ikeda (percussion).
At EC, we will have a special cast that features Park Soon-A playing a Korean harp, the gayaguem. I look forward to portraying Kiyohime in another realm of sound.
But wait, there’s more! On Day 2, there will be an Iwami Kagura performance on the Fringe Stage and one of the members, Taizo Kobayashi, will join me for EC Theatre to perform a serpent dance. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance to have this cast together. Don’t miss it!
The other day I visited Mr. Kobayashi at his workshop. We had a meeting about EC Theatre and rehearsed together. Our preparation is going really well!
I will perform my signature piece, Hana Hachijo, at the climax of the production.
I hope you will come along to see my unique portrayal of Kiyohime from the Tales of Dojoji.
Kiyohime Synopsis
A young girl played in the fields all day long
Chasing after flowers and frolicking butterflies with a pure heart Her name was Kiyohime
She fell in love with him at first sight
It was in the early days of summer when dew sparkled on the fresh foliage
They promised each other that they would meet again
As Kiyohime awaited his return, her arduous yearning for the monk intensified with every day
But the monk never appeared
Kiyohime learned that he had avoided her by taking another route
Yet the monk drove her away and vanished
It scattered her love, flowers, and tears
Cornering him at last
To another realm
Also, during EC please come along to see the “Kiyohime on Sado Island” Chieko Kojima × Maiko Miyagawa Photo Exhibiton. It will be held at Hiyoriyama, a cozy cafe on the main shopping street in Ogi. We hope you will enjoy this portrayal of Kiyohime‘s journey through the changing seasons on Sado Island.
Details: http://www.kodo.or.jp/ec/en/event/others/kiyohime/
Chieko Kojima “Yukiai–Kiyohime”
http://www.kodo.or.jp/ec/en/event/ectheatre/yukiahi/
“Getting Ready for Earth Celebration” by Mitsuru Ishizuka
Getting Ready for Earth Celebration
Earth Celebration is about to begin and we are rehearsing with all our might!
Usually we are all off on different projects and tours, so summer is always a special time of year for us because we all come together at the Kodo Village Rehearsal Hall to create sound together, work hard together, and perform on the same stage. This year will be the last EC that centers around the Shiroyama Concerts, so while it’s sad to see the end of an era, it’s all the more reason to give it our all! We hope you all come and have a ball with us! I hope we can make EC 2015 a special turning point that leads to bright new horizons!
See you all at Shiroyama Park!
“EC Rehearsals are Underway!” by Maya Minowa
We began our rehearsals for Earth Celebration on Aug. 8. Today we are practicing for the “Kodo Night” performance that will be held on Aug. 21.
With so many Kodo members in the rehearsal hall at once it got very lively in seconds.
We hope you’re all looking forward to EC as much as we are!
“My Thirties: Episode 2″ by Kenta Nakagome
EC is about to begin!
After this photo was taken, my icecream fell off the stick.
※Of course, I put the stick and wrapper in the trash can!
“Earth Celebration 2015 Tote Bags!” by Kodo Online Store
“Earth Celebration 2015” tote bags are now in stock! These bags feature the first ever EC logo designed by illustrator Seitaro Kuroda and come in six different colors. This practical tote has convenient inner pockets and fits A4-size folders with room to spare.
These bags are currently available from the Kodo Online Store and at the Sado Island Taiko Centre. Of course, you can also purchase them at EC in August (if stocks last)!
We only have a limited number of each color, so order soon to avoid disappointment!
“Earth Celebration 2015” Tote Bags
http://www.kodo.or.jp/store/171.html (Japanese store webpage)
For orders in English, please contact the Kodo Online Store by email: store.eng@kodo.or.jp
http://kodo.shop.multilingualcart.com/
Orders can be shipped to 120 countries around the world.
“Visit to Bali” by Atsushi Sugano, EC General Producer
Visit to Bali
Leonard Eto, Kinu Watanabe of the Japan Foundation, Makoto Shimazaki (Chairman of Kodo Cultural Foundation) and I visited Bali, Indonesia, in order to explore the possibilities for our upcoming collaborative performances at EC (for the first time in 18 years) and also for future Kodo performances in Bali. For Leonard and myself, it was our first trip to Bali in 20 years, but the moment we felt the warm, humid air of the tropics, we were overcome by nostalgia and everything felt familiar again right away.
Our reunion with Suwentra, the leader of Suar Agung, also felt so natural… it was as if no time had passed at all. We spoke fondly of our memories together, and continued our recent conversations about this year’s performance at EC without reservation.
The next day, we went to Nugara, the western region of Bali where their headquarters are located. There, Leonard led rehearsals with Suar Agung, keeping in mind the vision of Mitsuru Ishizuka who is directing the performance “Shukusai” on the final night of EC. It was indeed a fruitful visit.
“EC Theatre ‘Wadaiko Theatre Fujimotomida 2015’ Rehearsals on Sado” by Minako Goto
Kazuaki Tomida has arrived on Sado to begin rehearsing for his performance with Yoshikazu Fujimoto at EC Theatre next month.
Upon his arrival, he began creating some items to use to decorate the theater. After discussing what elements to include, Yoshikazu Fujimoto first drew a picture and Tomida then wrote the text. The completed curtain will greet their audience on the day of the performance.
“Fujimotomida” made its debut performance last year at Tiara Koto in Tokyo. During their practice, it’s hard for me to tell where their discussion time ends and their performance practise begins…
Their earnestness is impenetrable as they rehearse. Their rehearsals are extremely serious.
Mr. Tomida says that he has chosen his favorite “Yoshikazu pieces” for this performance. With one month to the performance date, the artists are holding on to every discovery they make.
Follow Kazuaki Tomida’s blog here for more about this rehearsal: (in Japanese)
http://uchigumi.blogspot.jp/2015/07/2015.html
Tickets are on sale now!
If advanced tickets sell out, there will be no tickets available on the day of the performance, so don’t delay! Reserve your seat today!
Details: http://www.kodo.or.jp/ec/en/event/ectheatre/fujimoto/