Posts by Members

Aug 9 (Thu), 2018 / Last updated : Feb 28 (Thu), 2019 melanie Posts by MembersJapan Tour, Kodai Yoshida, Michi

“Michi – The End and the Beginning” by Kodai Yoshida

One productions ends, and we head right into the next one. That’s the life of a Kodo member. It’s one endless challenge.

Someone once said to me, “Don’t feel secure. There’s someone better than you out there.”

I realized that every time one event finished, I felt a sense of relief.

Somehow, I got really angry when I heard those words.
Angry at myself for knowing that I felt secure and just carried on like that anyway.

I strongly felt the truth in those words when I was on tour with “Michi.”
You can’t afford to rest on your laurels, because the moment you think “I nailed it,” you’ll find another obstacle right in front of you.
The next obstacle is often like a big wall that you can’t see past. So you never know how big the following obstacle will be; all you can do is face the one right in front of you.

Lately, I’ve been spurred on by this kind of insecurity, as I tried to climb up and over each new wall.
Sometimes I’ve had to go back to the start line, sometimes I got knocked down.
One thing is for sure: I’ll keep climbing. I wonder how far I’ll go.

That’s up to me, right?
Bring on the next challenge!

Thank you for supporting our two-month “Michi” 2018 Japan Tour!

Aug 2 (Thu), 2018 / Last updated : Feb 28 (Thu), 2019 melanie Posts by MembersFukushima, Japan Tour, Michi, Shogo Komatsuzaki

“Kodo ‘Michi’ Iwaki Performance” by Shogo Komatsuzaki

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Aug. 1, 2018

There’s only four performances to go on our “Michi” 2018 tour.
We had a cast change for the second half of the tour to swap over the youngest members. Every day is fulfilling for all of us.

Our physical and mental state is different for each performance.

We have to think about drumming, walking, singing, and standing naturally on stage, which is more difficult and nerve-wracking than meets the eye. We have to make sure our body and mind are in the right condition before the curtain rises each day, so when we take a good look at ourselves, we can say, “I am in good form.”

On stage, each and every one of us has different roots and brings our own unique experience to the performance. We give it all we’ve got, right until the last beat, sharing heart and soul as we play our resounding instruments together.

Today, we have a performance in my hometown, Iwaki.

I moved to Sado Island ten years ago to become a Kodo apprentice.

Rather that trying to say my feelings with a lot of words to the special people in my hometown, I’ll try to say what I want to say through my sound on stage.

Upcoming “Michi” Performances

Cast (July-Aug.)

Motofumi Yamaguchi, Eiichi Saito, Tomohiro Mitome, Kenta Nakagome, Maya Minowa, Shogo Komatsuzaki, Masayasu Maeda, Kodai Yoshida, Seita Saegusa, Yuki Hirata, Chihiro Watanabe, Taiyo Onoda, Shun Takuma

Jul 31 (Tue), 2018 / Last updated : Jul 31 (Tue), 2018 melanie Posts by MembersFrance, Kodo Next Generation, Paris, Ryotaro Leo Ikenaga

[Kodo Next Generation] “The Time of My Life” by Ryotaro Leo Ikenaga

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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)

Jul 23 (Mon), 2018 / Last updated : Jul 23 (Mon), 2018 melanie Posts by MembersFrance, Kodo Next Generation, Paris, Tomoe Miura

[Kodo Next Generation] “The Tour Finale” by Tomoe Miura

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Hello, everyone!
Ten days has passed since we arrived in Paris. We’ve enjoyed nice weather and the feel-good breeze that blows through the Bois de Vincennes.

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)

Jul 19 (Thu), 2018 / Last updated : Jul 19 (Thu), 2018 melanie Posts by MembersFrance, Kodo Next Generation, Paris, Ryotaro Leo Ikenaga

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

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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.

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)

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