Tag ‘Dadan’
“It’s Almost Time for ‘DADAN’ in Asakusa” by Naomi Iseki
It’s now less than two weeks until the “DADAN 2015” performances. We wanted to make Kodo’s presence in Asakusa even stronger than last year, so we asked everyone in Asakusa to lend us a hand.
This style of vertical scroll poster is often seen around Asakusa, but it’s Kodo’s first time to make one for our performances. Many places have kindly displayed them for us.
We also made these postcards and they are available at cafes and other stores around Asakusa. Keep an eye out for them and share them with your friends!
And… do you know what these are?
Well, you’ll have to come to Asakusa to find out for yourself! I’m looking forward to telling you about these when the time comes…
Our Appearance on Radio Nippon “Mine Ryuta no Minesta”
Radio Nippon “Mine Ryuta no Minesta”
Today Yuichiro Funabashi and Masayuki Sakamoto made a live appearance on Radio Nippon’s weekday morning program “Mine Ryuta no Minesta” during the “Talk with Mr. Mine” corner. Thank you very much to everyone who tuned in! We hope you’ll come to hear them perform live at a theater sometime soon, too!
With radio personalities Ryuta Mine (far right) and Ai Handa (far left)
Live performance of SHAKE
▼For more about today’s appearance, have a look at the radio program’s blog (in Japanese).
“Mine Ryuta no Minesta” Program Blog
http://giants.jorf.co.jp/minesta/2015/05/post-a7bf.html
Photos courtesy of Radio Nippon
June 2015 “DADAN” in Asakusa, Tokyo
http://www.kodo.or.jp/news/20150610dadan_en.html
June–July, Sep.–Oct. 2015 “Kodo One Earth Tour: Eternity” Japan Tour
http://www.kodo.or.jp/news/20150606oet_en.html
“Sumida Park in Spring” by Naomi Iseki
March 28, 2015
There is a cherry blossom festival underway at Sumida Park, near Kodo’s Tokyo Office. When you go there to see the blossoms, you also see a lot of bright pink paper lanterns.
This year, there is a lantern for “Taiko Performing Arts Ensemble, Kodo” hanging amongst the lanterns for all the shops in Asakusa. They always support us so warmly.
We hope you’ll keep an eye out for our lantern if you visit Asakusa to see the cherry blossoms!
Kodo “DADAN 2015” Performances
June 10 (Wed)–15 (Mon), 2015 Asakusa Public Hall, Taito Ward, Tokyo
Tickets are selling quickly! Don’t delay, reserve yours today!
[DADAN 2015] Message from Yuichiro Funabashi
Tickets Now on Sale for “DADAN 2015”!
Tickets for the upcoming Kodo “DADAN 2015” performances in Asakusa, Tokyo, are on sale now.
Here is a message from Yuichiro Funabashi about “DADAN 2015.” (In Japanese)
Kodo “DADAN 2015” Performances
June 10 (Wed)–15 (Mon), 2015 Asakusa Public Hall, Taito Ward, Tokyo
Our Action-Packed 2015 Lineup!
In 2015, our schedule is action-packed with an array of performances in Japan: “Kodo One Earth Tour: Eternity,” Kodo Special Concert “Michi,” “Kodo Special Performances on Sado Island,” encore performances of “Amaterasu,” “DADAN 2015” performances in Tokyo, and of course, “Earth Celebration on Sado Island.” Also, “Kodo One Earth Tour: Mystery” will tour in North America in early 2015. We hope to see you all somewhere soon!
Mar. 2015
Kodo 2015 Special Concert “Michi”
Ever since our ensemble’s first encounter with Tamasaburo Bando over a decade ago, Kodo has set its sights on new heights of expression. In this performance, we will present our quest for many years, a special “world of taiko,” through an array of Kodo’s signature pieces from the nineties.
Mar. 19 (Thu)–20 (Fri), 2015 KAAT Kanagawa Arts Theatre Main Hall, Yokohama, Kanagawa
Director: Motofumi Yamaguchi
Appearing: Kodo (Eiichi Saito, Tomohiro Mitome, Tomohiro Mitome, Mitsuru Ishizuka, Kenta Nakagome, Tsuyoshi Maeda, Rai Tateishi, others)
Programme (TBC): Zoku, Jang-Gwara, Chonlima, Michi, Shamisen, Monochrome, Miyake, Sankan Shion, Yamauta, O-daiko, Yatai-bayashi
Apr.–May 2015
Kodo Special Performances on Sado Island 2015: Spring
The Special Performances, centered around Kodo’s Distinguished Members, take place at Shukunegi Community Hall, a retro playhouse in the heart of the traditional village of Shukunegi. This picturesque settlement is classified as one of Japan’s “Important Traditional Building Preservation Areas.”
Apr. 25 (Sat), 26 (Sun), May 2 (Sat)–5 (Tue/Public Hol.), 2015 Shukunegi Community Hall, Ogi Peninsula, Sado Island, Niigata
Appearing: Kodo (Yoshikazu Fujimoto, Chieko Kojima, Motofumi Yamaguchi, Eiichi Saito, Tomohiro Mitome, & others)
May 2015
Amaterasu
“Amaterasu” will return for encore performances in 2015 at Osaka’s Shochiku-za Theatre!
May 3 (Sun)–26 (Tue), 2015 *No performances on May 7 & 14 Osaka Shochiku-za Theatre, Osaka City
Director: Tamasaburo Bando
Appearing: Tamasaburo Bando, Kodo
Special Appearance: Harei Aine
June 2015
Kodo “DADAN 2015”
“DADAN,” meaning “drumming men,” was designed by Tamasaburo Bando as a simultaneously raw and refined performance that features solely young male Kodo performers in a bold exploration of percussion instruments. We hope you will join us for the ever-evolving DADAN performances in June 2015, exclusively at Asakusa Public Hall in Tokyo.
June 10 (Wed)–15 (Mon), 2015 Asakusa Public Hall, Taito Ward, Tokyo
Director: Tamasaburo Bando
Appearing: Kodo
※Pre-orders available at the Dec. 19–23 performances of “Kodo One Earth Tour 2014: Eternity” at Bunkyo Civic Hall, Tokyo.
Aug. 2015
Earth Celebration 2015
The Shiroyama Concerts, outdoor festival Earth Celebration’s main concert events, take place up on the hill in Shiroyama Park’s lush green surroundings. A star-filled sky and the chirp of cicadas complete this natural outdoor arena. What better place to celebrate the earth?
Aug. 21 (Fri) -23 (Sun), 2015 Ogi, Sado Is., Niigata
Further details will be announced in May 2015.
“Looking Back Over 2014” by Tomohiro Mitome
Dec. 1, 2014
Hello, everyone. This is Tomohiro Mitome, leader of taiko performing arts ensemble Kodo.
It’s December now and there is some snow up on top of Sado’s highest peak, Mt. Kimpoku. However, the end of this year is somewhat warmer than usual.
While it may be a little early, I would like to take the time now to look back over this past year for Kodo.
At the beginning of 2014, “Kodo One Earth Tour 2014: Legend” set off on its European tour while soloists & small-group projects held performances around Japan.
In spring, we had “Kodo One Earth Tour: Mystery” performances, a “Workshop Performance” tour, and “Kodo Special Performances on Sado Island,” as well as various small-group projects, all here in Japan.
In June, we held “Mystery” performances for five days at Asakusa Public Hall in Tokyo. It was our second time to give a series of performances there and once again, it was a great success. This time, we were able to deepen the bond between Kodo and the locals in Asakusa even further. We really appreciate their support.
In July, the School Workshop Performance tour members performed “DADAN” in Europe, which featured new pieces in a power-packed programme. We have been running two separate tours simultaneously for some time now, but this was the first time for us to perform two programmes directed by Tamasaburo Bando at the same time. This experience gave both the Kodo members and staff new-found confidence.
Then in August, we had our summer festival “Earth Celebration” here at home on Sado Island.
On the first night, all 32 Kodo members appeared on the Shiroyama Concert stage together. Ranging from junior members to Distinguished Members, this is the largest Kodo cast to ever take the stage at one time. The number of Kodo performers has been on the rise in recent years, but it is very rare for us to all perform together. The newest members brought their youthful energy, the veteran members brought their well-honed skills, and from the rehearsals to the stage, we all had a great time learning from each other and stimulating each other creatively.
It was wonderful to reaffirm our connection through taiko, regardless of generation. I think the audience must have felt the depth of our 30+ years of history through our performance.
On the second night, we welcomed guest artist “BLUE TOKYO,” a group of highly-trained, physically-honed rhythmic gymnasts.
On the third day, we were joined by guest artist “DAZZLE,” a creative dance ensemble, and former “Blue Hearts” drummer Tetsuya Kajiwara. Through these collaborations, we aimed to create new fusions and forms of expression, beyond any particular genre.
In the fall, we had some cast changes before setting off on two domestic tours: “Kodo One Earth Tour: Mystery” and the “School Workshop Performance” tour. Here at home, we held more “Kodo Special Performances on Sado Island,” featuring our veteran members, who also gave performances around Japan as soloists or with small-group projects. Fall marked the final performances in Japan for production “Mystery.” Thank you very much to everyone who came along to see it! Next, this production will tour around North America in 2015.
In November, the members regrouped to rehearse for two new productions: “Kodo One Earth Tour: Eternity” and a newly-directed “School Workshop Performance” tour. On Nov. 20, “Eternity” had its premiere performance on Sado Island.
All of the pieces featured in this production are brand new and a high-level of performance technique and expression is required of the entire cast. Audiences will surely feel first-hand the brand new step than Kodo has taken in stage expression through this programme.
Both of our year-end tours will last for a month. When we are at a theater near you, please come along to see us! We look forward to sharing our new programmes with you all.
I’m sure this is a busy time of year for you, too, but I hope that you can take some time to relax and enjoy ending your year with us and the sound of our taiko.
“Spain & France ‘DADAN’ Tour Finale”
July 25, 2014 Torroella de Montgrí, Girona, Spain
The “DADAN” tour had its final performance in Torroella de Montgrí, Girona, Spain. We were welcomed by a packed audience, making for a wonderful finale for us all. Thank you very much to everyone who came along!
After the performance, we had the usual international-cargo packing to do, so we pooled our strength and worked through it all as a team.
Our agent Isabel, our technical director Martin, and our truck driver Freddie provided us with such steady support throughout our tour.
Photo: (From left) Tour manager Takashi Akamine, agent Isabel Gonzalez, technical director Martin Lechner, and truck driver Freddie Gijsbers.
A smiley shot with the theater staff. After this, we all went cheerfully back to Japan.
The fresh new “DADAN” programme, arranged especially for this tour, has been constantly fuelled by the energy of our audiences in Spain and France, and will continue to evolve more and more in the future!
Thank you all! Muchas gracias! Merci beaucoup!
DADAN Tour Staff
Kodo “DADAN” Spain & France Performances
http://www.kodo.or.jp/news/20140709dadan_en.html
“My First Overseas Tour, ‘DADAN'” by Kengo Watanabe
This “DADAN” tour is my first time giving performances abroad. Leading up to the opening night, I was especially nervous to see how the people in Spain would react to our performance, but they got very excited, much more than I had expected! So after the performance I was on such a high, which didn’t go away even after I got back to my hotel room.
We receive such great applause every time we perform, but I am not going to let myself be satisfied by that considering my own power right now. What I will do is think more and more about performing and by the time we get back to Japan, I hope that my senior Kodo members will think that I have grown. Then, I want to show people in Japan how I am developing as a performer, too.
I am still an inexperienced junior member, so I will keep trying hard to catch up to the senior Kodo members!
My first performance abroad at Teatro Campoamor in Oviedo, Spain
“2 Days of ‘DADAN’ Performances in Lyon Conclude”
July 24, 2014
“Dadan” Performances in Lyon, France
It was rainy and chilly, but so many people came to see our performances. They seemed to enjoy Kodo’s sound in the ancient Roman theatre, backed by the wondrous night view in Lyon.
During our encore, we were treated to this festival’s renowned lancer de coussins, which means “cushion throw.” If the audience enjoyed the performance, they throw their seat cushions at the stage. We are glad that they enjoyed our brand new version of “DADAN,” specially arranged for outdoor festivals. The staff of “Les Nuits de Fourvière” supported us tremendously with their warm and attentive care.
We hope to return to this festival again. Thank you, Lyon! See you again!
DADAN Tour Staff
Kodo “DADAN” Spain & France Performances
http://www.kodo.or.jp/news/20140709dadan_en.html
Setting Up for “DADAN” Performances in Lyon
We have left Spain for a few days to come to Lyon, France! It’s been 5 years since Kodo was last at outdoor festival “Les Nuits de Fourvière,” and it’s great to be back. The Roman amphitheater venue is a World Heritage site! It is wonderful to see these relics still in use today. We have to be very careful on stage not to touch the historic stone pillars.
It requires a detailed “plan of attack” by Kodo’s sound engineer Takuro Susaki and Niigata Shomei Giken Co. sound engineer Kaori Abe, who works with us in Japan.
Our preparations are done and we are ready for two days of performing here!
DADAN Tour Staff
Kodo “DADAN” Spain & France Performances
http://www.kodo.or.jp/news/20140709dadan_en.html