A new Kyogen play "Six Jizo" that we worked on with children
The stage for Kyogen performers living in the 21st century
Vol.10 "Six Jizo" Workshop
Ozo doctrine (Noh performer Kyogen style Ozo school)
You can see the ocean and the mountains from the gymnasium.
In this beautiful location, I was working on a new Kyogen play with the children.
The theme of this event was to turn a local tale into a Kyogen performance. The subject was the "Six Jizo Guardians."
It's a simple story about how long ago some children were asked by a lord to pray for rain, but they accidentally splashed water on Jizo statue, and it started to rain.
So I added a little extra drama to the story, creating a very Kyogen-like ending in which, as the children perform a rain-making dance, the Jizo statue is drawn in and begins to dance as well.
First, we hand out the script and practice the pronunciation and mannerisms.
The children were nervous at first, but little by little they got used to it and relaxed. Then, even the children who couldn't speak well (they can speak very well but have difficulty doing so in front of other people) started to be able to speak, smiled more, and memorized their lines well.
Next comes the Kyogen movements.
Kyogen performances all have set forms, and it is important to hone your skills as you have been taught by your teacher.
This is where I stopped.
If you are working on a new piece with children, is it important to start with a set "format"? Given the limited time, it may actually be a hindrance. What is needed to stimulate children's sensibilities is to create with free imagination without being bound by a "format."
With that feeling, I let the children freely decide the pose and the way of expression of Jizo. I asked them to be independent and creative, and to move how they wanted to move. We then organized it into a "kata" and taught it to them.
What's important for children is not to tell them what is right or wrong, but to support, acknowledge and guide the ideas they come up with.
I think the children felt the joy of being able to express the movements they had thought up as a "kata." The smiles and serious expressions on the children's faces when they stood on the stage spoke for themselves.
The three days we spent together, filled with smiles and moments of joy, were invaluable to me.
