[Kodo Next Generation] “Gratitude” by Ryotaro Leo Ikenaga

What’s something we can do right now?

The youngest members of Kodo.
I wonder what we could achieve if we threw ourselves wholeheartedly into a project.

With those thoughts, and mere enthusiasm and energy, last year we created a new EC Theatre performance,
“Kodo Next Generation.”

Back then, I never thought we’d have back-to-back performances of that production in Paris one day.

Photo: Takashi Okamoto

And now it’s one year on.

Each one of us has grown.

Now we have the chance to tackle this production once more
With new spirit.

Of course, we still face so many challenges.
We all feel insecure about many things.

But one thing is for sure.
We all feel truly happy to be able to do this work.

Thanks to the support we receive from so many people,
We can throw ourselves wholeheartedly into any new challenge we want to undertake.

We are filled with absolute gratitude.

With gratitude in mind,
I think the best thing we can do in return for that support
is perform with all our might
and give each audience our best performance.

Photo: Koji Miyagi

I want this journey to be a fruitful one.
I hope we all grow during our time in France. We’ll do our very best.
See you later, Japan! See you soon, Paris!

Kodo Next Generation (France)

Photo: Takashi Okamoto