A new Kyogen play, "Rokujizo," created in collaboration with children.
The grand 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 sea and mountains from the gymnasium.
In a wonderful location, I was working on a new Kyogen play with the children.
The theme for this performance was to adapt a local folktale into a Kyogen play. The subject matter was "The Six Jizo Statues."
It's a simple story: long ago, children, at the lord's command, tried to pray for rain, but accidentally poured water on a Jizo statue instead, and it rained.
So I added a little embellishment to create a typical Kyogen ending: "As the children perform a rain-making dance, the Jizo statue is drawn in and starts dancing as well."
First, I handed them the script and we practiced vocalization and gestures.
The children, who were initially nervous, gradually became more comfortable and relaxed. Then, even those who couldn't speak (even though they could speak very well, they couldn't speak in front of others) gradually became able to speak, smiled more, and memorized their lines well.
Next is the movement as in Kyogen.
All Kyogen performances follow a set "form." It's important to hone your skills by performing exactly as you've been taught by your teacher.
I stopped here.
If we're working on a "new project" with children, is it really important to start with a predetermined "template"? Considering the limited time, it might actually be a hindrance. What's needed to stimulate children's creativity is to create with free thinking, without being bound by a "template."
Feeling this way, I let the children freely decide on the poses and expressions of the Jizo statues. I encouraged their autonomy and creativity, letting them move as they pleased. Then, we would organize their movements into a "form" and teach them.
What's important for children isn't teaching them right or wrong answers, but rather supporting, acknowledging, and guiding the ideas they come up with.
I believe the children felt the joy of being able to express the movements they had conceived as "forms." Their smiles and serious expressions when they stood on stage spoke volumes.
I received so many smiles, and the three days we spent together became an irreplaceable time for me.
