Iwami Kagura x Dance Creation Report "Dancer and choreographer Yoshihiro Fujita over the dedication kagura of Iwami" @ Sasakawa Hachimangu dedication kagura (inside Mitani Kagura) Yoshihiro Fujita, a dancer and choreographer who created two collaborations with Iwami Kagura in 2017 and 2019. For the third GF Kagura (Grantova x Fujita x Kagura) performance as the opening performance of the "Shimane Traditional Performing Arts Festival", we actually visited the dedication kagura in the Iwami area. We asked him about his thoughts on Iwami Kagura and his report of his live experience of the dedication of Mitani Kagura at Sasakawa Hachimangu Shrine (Masuda City).
Shimane Traditional Performing Arts Festival Pre-Event Iwami Kagura x Dance "KUROZUKA" "IWATO" (March 2019)
■ Q1. How was your experience of Iwami Kagura as a dedication? (Fujita) I had only seen Kagura in theaters until now, but this time I will experience the dedication Kagura at a shrine for the first time. The style of watching by cross-legged on a small tatami mat instead of the audience seats of the theater. It was impressive that the people in charge served tea, sweets, sake and snacks to everyone who came to see the audience, and the audience was very relaxed. I was so excited to see the smile that you are looking forward to this day from the bottom of my heart. And when it starts, it's so powerful! Every move of the dancer, breathing, everything is transmitted. Not only we, the audience, but also the dancers seemed to enjoy dancing. I thought that the people here on this day really like Iwami Kagura and are dying.
■ Q2. What was the most interesting and impressive scene? (Fujita) I really enjoyed all the performances and it was interesting, but to mention a few, "Kurozuka" was a performance that I did with everyone in the youth club, so the moment the turn turned into "Kurozuka", it was terrible. I was happy. After all, the interaction between Houin and Goriki is interesting (mistakes turn into laughter)! The evil fox rushed to Miura Nosuke and Kazusa Nosuke on the way, but both of them had strangely surprised faces, so maybe that was an ad lib of the evil fox ...? "Suzukayama" was a performance that was not listed in the guide of Iwami Kagura that I received, so maybe it is a rare performance? There are four demons out there, but when they dance, their individuality oozes out, and the dancer's norinori and sharpness with the smallest face are especially wonderful! After all, the last is "Big Snake"! To be honest, it wasn't a big place, but when four of them came out, I suddenly heard a voice! It was a masterpiece to literally fill the space, and the movement was so big that I couldn't think it was being manipulated by humans. The variation of how to move and how to get entangled was also amazing (I have seen the big snake several times in the video, but the degree of entanglement is It was evolving. Was it the original in this company? ).
■ Q3. What inspired you as a dancer, choreographer / director? (Fujita) The ad lib seen everywhere was interesting. Not only lines but also dances and movements. And without being disturbed by it, everyone in the music is adjusting the tone and the timing of the end. This may be JAZZ in a sense of music. Also, it was very interesting to see that various personal things such as the facial expression under the face, the individuality of the dancer, and the feelings became more prominent by putting on the face. And above all, we are trying to entertain the audience. I thought that there must be some kind of entertainment as long as there are customers, and I once again felt that awareness was absolutely necessary, whether it was traditional performing arts or the contemporary stage.
■ Q4. What do you feel as an interest in the charm and tradition of Iwami Kagura? (Fujita) ・ Live feeling after all! !! Dancer, the powerful sound of music! If you watch it live, it will make you want to experience it again if you listen to it live. It's a common traditional performing art, right? What I thought was totally different! If you haven't seen it yet, you should experience it once. ・ Narrative It is said that Iwami Kagura has more than 30 performances. Most of them are stories based on myths, legends, and history. A story that has been handed down from various stories, such as romantic ones, large-scale ones, and funny and interesting ones. All are interesting. ・ Innovation Iwami Kagura is constantly evolving while preserving tradition. The snake is a typical example, and the snake body was born with a hint of a lantern, the eyes of the snake shined, and fire and smoke blew out from the mouth. What used to be one is now eight at the Osaka Expo, and the combination of movements and entanglements is becoming more and more complicated. From there, I felt that each of the companies would develop their originality and continue to evolve in line with the times. I was able to visit the studio of the face writer Katsuro Kakita to talk to him, but if he did something new, he would get angry and laugh, but if he continued for 10 years, that would become the next new tradition. .. Exactly as the word says. It's a different genre, but it's a way of thinking that is similar to the contemporary dance I'm doing.
■ Q5. This will be the third GF Kagura (Grantova x Yoshihiro Fujita x Iwami Kagura). What kind of motivation did you have in creating a collaboration between contemporary dance and traditional performing arts? (Fujita) After all, I think this collaboration is due to the story of Kagura and the world view. I paid attention to how we contemporary dancers would ride in the world, and how Iwami Kagura could be integrated without being noticeable because Iwami Kagura was completed by itself. But the collaboration. It's a waste to work on the other side, so I considered how the expression of Iwami Kagura could be expanded by mixing dancers and how to effectively interact with each other. First of all, I would like to create a production that expands the story of the foundation of Iwami Kagura. For example, in "Iwato", Amaterasu Omikami hides in Amano-Iwato because Susanoo-no-Otoko's life was violent in Japanese mythology, but it is not drawn in Kagura. In that case, we can help the audience to easily enter the story by acting as Susanoo-no-Mikoto. Furthermore, I decided not only to act as a character, but also to use the background and props as production tools. This is an expression that uses the physical expression that I am good at, but I think that the fun will be doubled by manipulating things and tools as "Kuroko" that Iwami Kagura does not have. For example, in "Kurozuka", Kazusa Hirotsune shoots an arrow directly at the evil fox, but the speed, sharpness, and strength of the arrow can be expressed by having multiple dancers carry the arrow and dance. I've been thinking that it would be more interesting and wider and deeper to express ourselves by being involved in this wonderful Iwami Kagura in both rabbits and corners. GF Kagura is a very motivational project for me.
■ Q6. Please give us a few words for your next collaboration with the youth club. (Fujita) So far, I have made two works, "Iwato" and "Kurozuka", with the youth club members. I'm looking forward to what I'm going to do next time and what kind of production I'm going to do next time. In addition, Iwami Kagura and contemporary dance will be combined in four more than ever. Let's create a wonderful thing that can only be done by youth club members and us! !!
From March 2019 Iwami Kagura x Dance Performance "IWATO"
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