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This year there are 14 people from 5 countries. See where the dockside workshop goes!

今年は5カ国14人。波止場のワークショップの行く先を見届けろ!

Go, see and feel the world of art
File.16 Wharf Workshop 2019
Miyuki Inoue (Magcal Editorial Department)

A dockside workshop has started again this year.
The location is Wakabacho Wharf, an art center that opened in 2017.
The 14 performers are from Ho Chi Minh, Jakarta, Singapore, Nanjing, Chongqing, Beijing, Hefei, Xi'an, Lijiang, Shanghai, and Tokyo.
The training program is very diverse, with Wakabacho Wharf Artistic Director Makoto Sato serving as the instructor himself, as well as workshops with butoh and Noh performers, classroom lectures with theater critics, as well as theater performances and facility tours.
They spend 20 days here, eating and sleeping together, working on their creations.

*Click here for last year's report !!
But before that.
The first thing participants will face is the issue of "communication." English and Chinese interpreters will be provided during the workshop, but in order for everyone to create a single work, it is necessary to make full use of the time spent there to understand each other. The conversation won't progress if you stay in your room. I had to use my body language and the translation software on my smartphone to communicate somehow...
On the day I visited the practice hall, a workshop was being held by Hikaru Uzawa (Kanze-ryu Noh actor/Tesenkai). The theme is "Noh movement." Students will learn basic forms one by one, including unique standing postures and carrying movements (suriashi).
Noh is sometimes described as ``the art of walking,'' so learning this basic posture may be the way to get closer to the spirit of Noh.
In the practice room, the instructor's words are followed by English and Chinese words. What was surprising was the amount of words the interpreter said. He says that simply replacing words does not convey what the instructor is trying to say, so adding supplementary or different expressions inevitably results in a lot of words. Of course, make full use of body language.
Indeed, interpreting is an art in itself.

Participants asked questions in three languages.
Not only do we speak different languages, but we also have different environments and cultural backgrounds, so each person's awareness and feelings are different. Still, the questions asked by the participating members were pertinent, and I could feel their enthusiasm as they eagerly tried to absorb the information.
At the end, everyone recited a passage from ``Yang Guifei.''
Although he said, ``Even if you don't understand the meaning, just say it out loud and imitate it,'' but the unique phrasing seems to have stimulated the curiosity of the participants. When Mr. Uzawa pulled out his own poetry book, everyone looked at it with great interest, and a heated discussion ensued. The excitement was so great that it exceeded the time limit.

``Today's goal was simply to convey the ``kata'', but at the end there were questions that delved into the theatrical nature of Noh.There were many new things for me, and it was fun.2 There's only so much you can convey in time, so I'd like to sit down and talk with them over a meal.'' (Mr. Uzawa)

A complete change from the heated rehearsal hall, this is the shared lounge during lunch time. I spoke to Takayoshi Terakoshi (an actor and participant) who was making lunch.

``I've participated in workshops with foreign directors, but this is the first time I've felt such a foreign feeling.I couldn't understand them so much that I was nervous until the second day (lol). There is no doubt that he is a person with a career.It will be interesting to create a work that combines everyone's humanity.''
In one corner of the lounge, there is also a pile of "souvenirs" brought in from various regions. It may be that heated theater discussions are held here night after night. As I looked at the packaging of sweets, I tried to imagine the variety of languages that were being used there.

In the afternoon, there will be a dance workshop by Keiko Takeya (dancer).
Training that moves every joint and muscle of the body is an essential subject for performers. The sense of composing a space with a sense of each other's presence is essential to the creation of works.

The workshop will continue after this. What kind of works will be produced through collaborative creation that transcends language, customs, generations, genres, and the boundaries between tradition and modernity?

I want to find out the answer on stage when the curtain opens soon.

This event has ended.
Wharf Workshop 2019 [People who came]
■Date and time: August 2, 2019 (Fri) 19:00 / 3rd (Sat) and 4th (Sun) 14:00
■Venue: Wakabacho Wharf
■Ticket price: Advance ticket 3,500 yen/Same-day ticket 4,000 yen
■Inquiries: 045-315-6025 (Wakabacho Wharf)
*Click here for details !!

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