In collaboration with renowned international artists, Tomoko Mukaiyama will present her new ritualistic theatre performance called GAKA (雅歌), a word which means “noble song” in Japanese. The performance will tour to Kochi and Kozu island in Japan, and will premiere during Oerol, the largest outdoor performance festival in Europe.
The production is inspired by the enchanting repetitive rhythms of the Kagura, an age-old Shinto harvest ritual. In addition to thanking the gods of nature for the annual bounty, the ritual aims to make sense of the big questions: Where do we come from? And why are we here?
GAKA seeks to create a contemporary natural ritual while also asking if such a thing is possible. Since women are traditionally excluded from the Kagura, our theatrical prayer will feature nine Japanese women dancers, including former NDT dancer Ema Yuasa. GAKA will also feature Tomoki Kanzaki, a young trained Kagura performer who will make his theatrical debut.
Starting just after sunset, composer Maxim Shalygin, the dancers, choreographed by Un Yamada, and designer Ting Gong will transform the pristine Boschplaat and the adjacent waters into a sacred arena. Then the ritual will begin.
GAKA tour schedule 2018
15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 June Oerol Festival (Terschelling, The Netherlands)
13 & 14 July The Museum of Art, Kochi (Kochi, Japan)
21 & 22 July Kozushima (Tokyo, Japan)
Tomoko Mukaiyama is a Dutch-Japanese pianist, performer and visual artist based in Amsterdam. By integrating different disciplines into her art-and-music pieces, Mukaiyama investigates the concept of performance and the limits of the concert hall as we know it. As a pianist and visual artist, she has a fascination for unconventional contemporary art projects and plays with the conventions around her instrument, her profession, and performance in a broader sense. She has collaborated with film directors, designers, architects, dancers and photographers, such as Marina Abramovic, MERZBOW, Jiří Kylián and Michael Gordon.
Source: Tomoko Mukaiyama
