I’m not sure where to start.

It’s difficult to put into words how these past two weeks at the Théâtre du Soleil have been, but simply put, it has been one of the most interesting experiences of my life.

It has been a time of tranquility, but also a time of passion.
A time of exhilaration, but also a time of exasperation.
It was truly a much-needed time of self-meditation, and a time of self-reflection for each and every one of us.

I’m still having trouble writing down my thoughts.

One thing that is for sure is that we are truly grateful for all the support and love we receive doing what we do.

To Ariane Mnouchkine and the wonderful people at the Theatre du Soleil: thank you for bringing us into your home like family. This has truly been an opportunity of a lifetime.

To our families, staff, and supporters all over the world; we are only here because of you. We appreciate all the love and support, and we promise to strive to continue to bring you our very best.

Once again, thank you to everyone, and we hope we’ll see all of you very soon.

Kodo Next Generation (France)

Our two-week-long residence at Théâtre du Soleil has flown by and our final performance is over.

Thanks to everyone’s support we welcomed full houses every day, in fact it was more than full on the final day with over forty people on the waitlist. So, we invited those people in to sit in the aisles and on extra benches so they didn’t miss out.

When the curtain call rolled around, we saw many members of the Theatre gathered alongside the seating area. During our encore number, they looked like they were having a great time dancing and embracing each other.

I am truly happy that we were able to carry out this performance series in Paris with the warm support of so many people.

I am writing this post the day after the finale. Today we have been packing our instruments and bags, tidying up, and cleaning. While I am feeling grateful for the wonderful time we have had here, I also feel sad knowing that our stay at Théâtre du Soleil is about to end.

Both the cast and production staff for “Kodo Next Generation” are young, so my role was to support them. I watched over them every day.

They are the next generation of Kodo and they are brimming with passion, energy, and joy. I feel that the future is in good hands. This residence with them in Paris was an exciting, valuable experience for all of us.

The time we all spent at this utopia, Théâtre du Soleil, is like a precious seed. I am already looking forward to seeing the fruit it bears in the years to come.

Lastly, on behalf of Kodo, I would like to express our heartfelt gratitude and respect to Ariane Mnouchkine of  Théâtre du Soleil for inviting “Kodo Next Generation” to France.
Merci beaucoup!!!

Mio Teycheney-Takashiro, Production Manager

Kodo Next Generation (France)

Many things happen each day that remind me how inexperienced I am, but I know am still very early on in my career. This experience here in Paris is a seed that will grow. I feel determined to do my best in life as a taiko performer. That seed, that drive, I carry them on stage with me to face each new performance.

For ten days, we have been based at Théâtre du Soleil in the Bois de Vincennes in suburban Paris. Both our accommodations and our performances have been on site.

The members of the Théâtre make our meals and take good care of us on and off stage. Thanks to them, we can rest assured each day that our daily life and our performances are in great hands.

Even if we had a tough day for some reason or other, their delicious meals and their warm smiles always saved the day.

Thanks to Ariane Mnouchkine, the director of Théâtre du Soleil, and the entire company, we have made it to the day of our finale. Thank you all very much!

Only one performance to go. I’ll give 200% again today, right until the very last beat!

Kodo Next Generation (France)

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.

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.

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)

Plucking up the courage one year ago to ask that question to Ryotaro, who was directing a new program, turned into the beginning of my own “Kodo Next Generation” journey.
When I was a Kodo apprentice, Ryotaro talked to me more than anyone else. So while I didn’t say it out loud, I was thinking all along that I really wanted to appear in the first work that he directed.

When everyone gathered up after that rehearsal that I went to watch, Ryotaro said, “I’m going to add Kimu* to the Next Generation team.” (*Kimu is my nickname at Kodo)
I was so happy to hear that!

Most of the rehearsals for Kodo Next Generation were squeezed in between other rehearsals. Time was really tight, but when we got together and worked on songs, it was really exciting. Kind of like when being a kid again and making a secret base with friends.

Then, the time came for the last rehearsal before our first performance. And it was all over the place.
I was flustered. I really wondered if we could pull it off. I don’t remember the exact words that were said at the meeting after that final practice, but I remember that we all knew that there was no turning back. We just had to be strong and get ready to perform with all our might.

Last year, we gave our all in that first-ever “Kodo Next Generation” performance. The audience really enjoyed it. While I’d like to say this year’s performance is going to have a new flavor, I don’t really have any flavors up my sleeve other than young. All I can do is just go for it.

So I’ll do just that, with all my might!

Kodo Next Generation

Jul 17–22, 2018 Théâtre du Soleil, Paris, France