Momoko Shirakami, Kanta Nakamori, and Hideki Izumi talk Kanagawari Classics Project 2014 “Enoshima Maude Maiodori”

Interview: Masamasa Nishino Text: Akiko Inoue Photo: Eri Nishiyama

The 2nd installment of the Kanagawari Classics Project, a project to “Re” disseminate cultural heritage, which is the “treasure” of the region, as a culture and art that lives in the present age, is set in Enoshima, a historical tourist destination by the sea. will be held in Momonga Complex's leader Momoko Shirakami, who is known for her humorous choreography, will create a site-specific time and space where various "dances" rooted in the prefecture gather. This year's "Re-classical Project 2014 Enoshima Maude Maiodori" is scheduled to be held on Saturday, October 4th, when the "Eno Fes" shows excitement every year. The collaboration of contemporary dance and Noh, genres that are both throbbing in modern times but rarely intermingled, and the folk performing arts that represent the five regions of Fujisawa, Odawara, Sagamihara, Miura, and Yokosuka are added, and the richness of dance in Kanagawa. It looks like it will be a valuable opportunity to explore that possibility.

This time, director Shirakami and Kanta Nakamori, a Kanze-style Noh performer who actively promotes Noh, such as managing the Kamakura Noh stage, are also known as the ``21st Century Geba Geba Dance Company. We asked Hideki Izumi, who is currently active, about this event, which is currently in the midst of trial and error.

What are the roots of the three people's expressions? !

ーThank you for coming today. I'd like to ask about various things right away, but how many times have the three of you met?

Shirakami-san and Izumi-san have been friends since school days, right?

Shirakami: Yes, a classmate from college. This is the second time I have met Mr. Nakamori.

Nakamori: In the past, there was a meeting at the Kanagawa Prefectural Cultural Affairs Division, and I was able to say hello at that time.

- I think that the 2nd re-classical project "Enoshima Maude Mai Odori" is completely new from scratch, so I'm very curious about what kind of event it will be. Before I get into the details, I would like to ask you to briefly introduce yourself.

Mr. Shirakami, please.

Shirakami: I grew up in a normal family, but when I was little, I used to go to see small theater productions that my father appeared in, and I often went to Takarazuka with my mother, who was crazy about Takarazuka. is. When I was little, I couldn't decide between Japanese traditional dance and ballet. But when I was in college, I wanted to study production, so I studied things like art management.

- That's where you met Izumi-san, right?

Shirakami: That's right. When I entered J. F. Oberlin University, it had only been a short time since an art department was established, so the existence of the department was not well known within the university. People were looking at me like, ``I wonder who those jersey-wearing people are~'', so in order for the seniors one generation above to appeal to their existence, they said, ``It's like a festival with dance and live music. We launched an outdoor project called "Let's do something." There weren't many people doing dance there, so I was entrusted with the choreography. .

- Does that mean you danced Japanese dance at home and contemporary dance in a jersey with Mr. Shirakami at university?

Izumi: Yes. Rather than wearing a jersey and dancing, I was cutting plywood for art (laughs). I grew up with touch. Along the way, there were times when I didn't like it, but since I was born into this family, I decided to study dance properly, so I started studying. Later, when I entered university and interacted with various people, including Mr. Shirakami, I felt keenly that I had to become a person who could properly express myself through Japanese dance, and I have continued to do so to this day. It has been 10 years since I graduated from university, but from now on, I want to let my body soak into my art, Nihon buyo, and understand it with my heart. By chance, I was able to visit Enoshima Shrine to pray for the inheritance of the school. Also, I am always indebted to the people of Kanagawa Prefecture, so when I received the offer this time, I thought that I could do something interesting. I am participating in this project with the hope that it will be an opportunity for people from various genres to gather and see the performing arts of Kanagawa Prefecture in one place.

- Thank you. Finally, Mr. Nakamori, please.

Nakamori: The world of Noh has been around for a long time, but we are a very new family, having started this business since my father's generation. I was an only child, so naturally, I have been performing Noh for 50 years, from the age of 3 until now. My father really disliked the idea that Noh should be watched by people who know about it, so our organization has to be recognized by the general public, and for that reason we must continue to sow seeds. With that in mind, we chose a path that specializes in dissemination.

Since around 1975, we have been giving performances at schools, even though we were evacuated by people who thought that Noh was something noble. But now it has been recognized, and thanks to you, we have been certified as a public interest incorporated foundation.

Taking over that stance of dissemination, I have continued my activities so far.

I have been given the opportunity to play the leading role in more than 30 songs over the years, and I have been designated as an intangible cultural asset, and thankfully, I have received a certain amount of praise.
I have been participating in this "Re-Classical Project" since the first one, but Kanagawa Prefecture has been indebted to me for a long time, so I would like to repay the kindness.

- Thank you.

Classical Performing Arts × Contemporary Dance

ー Well then, I would like to hear about this project. This time, I heard that Mr. Izumi was first approached by the culture division of Kanagawa Prefecture, and Mr. Shirakami, the director, was introduced by Mr. Izumi. Izumi-san, you are active in both Japanese dance and contemporary dance, but did you always have the desire to fuse traditional performing arts and contemporary dance, as you did this time?

Izumi: To put it bluntly, I believe that, ultimately, there are no barriers in performing arts, and that there is a common thread running through them. That's what I always thought.

This time, when I received this offer, in order to gather various performing arts in one place, for example, it would not be received well by the audience if each group made presentations in turn. I thought it might be, so I introduced Mr. Shirakami, who was able to properly direct the whole scene.

ーDo you mean that you want to have a proper concept instead of just being interesting?

Izumi: Or rather, I think we have to make it interesting.
In other words, I think it would be difficult if we didn't present our performances to the audiences of Noh, dance, and folk performing arts in a way that they would be able to understand, rather than just lining them up and saying, "Please." I'm here. It's a great way to see a variety of performing arts, not just what you're looking for. I think it will be

ー I see. As you just mentioned, this time it's a fairly large family of dancers, musicians, local performers, and Noh performers. By the way, was it decided from the beginning that folk performers from all over Kanagawa Prefecture would participate?

Shirakami: That's right. Rather, it's the foundation, or rather, the main character. At the stage of receiving the offer, for example, the culture section enthusiastically talked about wanting to do something with a lot of local dances and performing arts, such as "Yokosuka Tiger Dance" and Miura's "Chakkirako". Please.

In that case, I wondered if there was some way I could show it as a story when people like that got together, and I said, ``People from all over Kanagawa will come to Enoshima to perform the dances of their respective regions.'' I came up with a framework. Also, I thought it would be great if the customers who came to Enoshima for sightseeing could watch the dance just like they came to visit, and then go home after dancing.

In the middle of that, Mr. Nakamori will perform a Noh play called "Enoshima" at the end.

Nakamori: Noh is basically something that you can't change the direction of, so it's not really suitable for collaboration. For example, it wouldn't be so difficult if there was a break and something was put in between to divide it into the first half and the second half, but the rule is that you can't go on stage at the same time as something else. So you could say it's a theater that is completely against the concept of this project. However, we have a song called "Enoshima", and the venue is Enoshima, so this time I'm thinking of doing it in the form of a congratulatory message, as well as a celebration of the final payment.

ー Is there anything that is usually shortened to this extent?

Nakamori: In the first half of "Enoshima," there is a scene where the story of how Enoshima was created is almost an hour long. I think that it is a little different from shortening because it means that we will omit it this time and only the second half. It happened that I had acted before, so I was able to take on the role without any hesitation. By the way, due to space issues on the stage and problems with mic level matching, we will be recording the musical accompaniment this time. However, if the sound source is properly recorded in the studio like this time, I think it will be easier for the audience to listen to. Normally, recordings of Noh performances are rarely done, but in the future, Noh itself will need to change, and I think it will be a way to appeal to new ways of doing things.

- I hear that your school has been flexible since your father's generation as a means of spreading Noh to many people. I imagine that the attempt to use the recording this time is also a consciousness inherited from the previous generation.

Nakamori: Actually, I have experience before. But using recordings is based on the doctrine of not reusing them. It is basically not reused.

ー I see. I myself had a strict image of Noh, so I was surprised to hear that since your father's time, you have made various ingenuity, such as incorporating laser beams and using a transparent stage. rice field. You also have the experience of performing with the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra.

This time, do you have any image of co-starring with Shirakami-san and others in the genre called contemporary dance?

Nakamori: When I heard about it, I thought it would only fit as a play within a play. For example, if we were to exchange lines at the same time, it would end up being a play performed by Noh actors, and we would not be able to meet the expectations of the audience who came to see the Noh performance. But of course, I don't think it's a bad thing to do proper things with proper things and arrange things as different genres. I hope that this will lead to people wanting to see authentic Noh performances. However, that will take a lot of time, so if there is an opportunity to work with Shirakami-san over the next year or two to come up with a proper script, of course I will be happy to cooperate.

ー It would be great if something like that could be born from the “Re-classical project”.

Shirakami: That's right. I wish I had the opportunity to spend more time on it.

Nakamori: It's not good to mess with existing songs, so if you can do it in a form like a new one.
Of course, there may be times when I am criticized for doing that, but in the future I would like to do something that I am glad I did.

- That's how you've changed with the times. By the way, I heard that Mr. Izumi is also teaching Japanese dance this time.

Izumi: Yes. I will also be performing.

Shirakami: This time, I came up with a character called "Shirasu Gonin Otoko". The name comes from combining Enoshima's famous whitebait and "Shiranami Gonin Otoko" (note: the common name for a Kabuki play depicting the activities of one of Japan's leading thieves) , and Mr. Izumi is one of them. I hope that you will be able to see the movements of the five people while doing so. By the way, the number "5" is also an image of a five-headed dragon (note: a dragon that lived in a lake in Fukasawa, Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture) .

Izumi: When you perform Japanese dance, you have to wear a kimono. So usually the clothes and the floor are closely related. The same is true of Noh.

Nakamori: It's the same. First, the floor must be flat.

Izumi: But in the case of new character settings such as the “Shirasu Gonin Otoko” and irregular outdoor venues, it is a place to try how to make use of what we have cultivated in Japanese dance in such situations. I wish I could challenge as.

- I wonder what kind of movement it will be. How do you incorporate elements of Japanese dance and contemporary dance into your movements?

Izumi: As a Japanese dance, I think that when the audience sees it, they feel that it's a Japanese movement, and the movement that emerges as a metaphor will stand out as a character. I don't think it's because of the traditional movements, but because people from various fields have come together, I think it would be good if they could explore what they could express with their own bodies. think.

Tracing Enoshima - Senses Evoked Through Physical Experience

- Do you have an overall image of this time, or a scene you want to push here?

Shirakami: This project will take the form of a tour of Enoshima as a customer experience, and in the end you will see a performance at Samuel Cocking Garden. I hope that the event itself will become a memory for everyone who was there. The performers also move towards Samuel Cocking Garden, so I want to make sure that their performance remains as a "picture" for those who see the scene.

Specifically, when the audience visits the shrine from bottom to top, the performers in the middle teach them how to dance. I can. That's why I think it would be nice if everyone could enjoy the production, as if the audience themselves had come to dance.

The view from the venue (in Samuel Cocking Garden)

Shirakami: There are people like Mr. Nakamori and Mr. Izumi who say that Japanese culture lives in every corner of their lives and cultivates it every day. For people who have become so distant from even Japanese culture, I wonder how much Japanese "movements" and senses handed down from people of the past still remain. However, this time, the climbing road leading to Samuel Cocking Garden is the same as the terrain that our ancestors used to walk up. I thought it might lead to Just like people in traditional performing arts follow the physical path of choreography handed down from their predecessors every day. That's why climbing the cobblestones of Enoshima is very important, and I think it's linked to the theme of this time, "traditional arts." For that reason, I don't really want you to ride the escalator ( laughs ).

Also, there are some really interesting traditional performing arts left in Kanagawa Prefecture, so I definitely want you to see them too.

Izumi: In Japan, everything from lifestyle to culture has been cut off. On the other hand, Noh, Japanese dance, and performing arts that have been handed down in the region have been nurtured by being passed down directly from parents and seniors in the region. If this is interrupted once, you may be able to leave it in the video, but you can't receive it 100%. Therefore, it is precious that something is handed down from person to person, and I want people who are involved in it to be proud of it.

As Mr. Shirakami says, the island of Enoshima has a long history of being visited by people and having a shrine. I think that there is a meaning in the fact that Enoshima has always existed in this place, and that there is something to be felt by tracing it.

Nakamori: By walking, you can feel that people in the olden days also walked here and saw the same scenery as they came all the way here.

-By the way, has the course and schedule been decided for this event?

Shirakami: We don't have any time restrictions, so I want people to go around at their own pace.

For example, seeing the Sasara dance performers in matching yukata makes people think, "Ah, what's going on today?" , I think it would be nice if you could watch it as part of the scenery.

ー So, I would like everyone to experience Enoshima for one day only. Finally, I would like to conclude with a few comments from each of you.

Shirakami: By being involved in this project, I learned about traditional performing arts that I didn't know about at all. , I would like to see how young people are communicating, and I would like customers to have the same experience that surprised me. Also, since the stage is Enoshima, I think that there will be people who come to experience things that they normally can't see without going to the theater as if it were leisure. I hope that it will be a good opportunity for people to learn about traditional performing arts through such experiences.

Nakamori: I hope this will be a good opportunity for people to become interested in their own country's classical culture. Also, on an individual level, we don't have any horizontal connections, and just like how we were able to meet people like Mr. Shirakami and Mr. Izumi on this occasion, by continuing to do this several times, various communities have been created. , I think that it will spread more and more and more possibilities will be born. And I hope that this event will be something like a detonator that spreads such movements nationwide.

Izumi: I also have expectations for the kind of horizontal connections that Mr. Nakamori just mentioned, and the stimulus that comes back to the individual through the involvement of multiple genres. I think Also, I think that Kanagawa Prefecture will become a more enjoyable area if we can get more people to see the projects that introduce various cultural assets in this way. I would like to make this Enoshima a fun project.

- My biggest concern is the weather, but I'm looking forward to seeing how Enoshima will be colored after being blessed with fine weather.

The event below has ended.

< overview >
Kanagawa Re-Classical Project 2014 Enoshima Enoshima Maude Dance Dance

October 4th (Sat) Open 16:00 Start 16:30 (scheduled to finish at 18:00)
Viewing for free

* However, Enoshima Samuel Cocking Garden entrance fee (200 yen for adults, 100 yen for children) is required separately.
*If the event is canceled due to stormy weather, a rain program will be held at the Kanagawa Women's Center on the following day, the 5th (doors open at 13:30, performance starts at 14:00).