SACHIYO ITO & COMPANY OFFERING FREE LESSON IN JAPANESE DANCE
Free Trial Japanese Dance Lesson with Sachiyo Ito and Company
Saturday, September 28 from Noon until 1:00 p.m.
Sachiyo Ito and Company Studio – 405 W. 23rd Street at 9th Avenue
Admission: Free
Sachiyo Ito and Company at the 2024 Japan Parade. Photo by Jon Jung.
Japanese traditional dancer, instructor, and choreographer Sachiyo Ito is opening her Chelsea studio for a free trial lesson on Saturday, September 28!
What You’ll Learn
Basic movements and gestures of Japanese dance
How to use the dance fan (fan will be provided)
Kabuki dance repertory
What To Bring
Cotton socks
Yukata and obi (if you have them)
To register, please send an email to sachiyoitoandcompany@gmail.com. The deadline to register is Thursday, September 26.
Come dressed in your yukata or allow yourself enough time to get dressed at the studio before the lesson is scheduled to begin. If you need a yukata and/or an obi, please inform Sachiyo Ito and Company when you register.
To those experienced in stage performances, you will have an opportunity to join Sachiyo Ito and Company for 2025 spring performances such as cherry blossom festivals. Learn more about Sachiyo Ito and Company at dancejapan.com.
Enjoy the beauty and grace of Japanese dance!
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Japanese Reimagining of HAMLET at Japan Society
HAMLET | TOILET
Wednesday, January 10 at 7:30 p.m. [SOLD OUT]
Friday, January 12 at 7:30 p.m. (followed by artist Q&A)
Saturday, January 13 at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Japan Society – 333 E. 47th Street (between 1st and 2nd Avenues)
Admission: $35 | $28 Japan Society Members and Persons with Disabilities
Number two or not number two? That is the question in HAMLET | TOILET, a hilariously nonsensical reimagining of William Shakespeare’s classic from Yu Murai, one of Japan’s “most innovative contemporary playwright-directors” (Asian Theatre Journal), and performed by his Kaimaku Pennant Race theater company cast, fearlessly clad in their signature full-body white unisuits.
Kaimaku Pennant Race (KPR) has become known for its antic movement style mixed with profound interpretations of Western masterpieces, weaving scenes from Elizabethan-era tragedy with bursts of Japanese pop culture references in sensational and surprising ways. Following the company’s groundbreaking Romeo and Toilet and 2019’s unpredictable manga-meets-Macbeth Ashita no Ma-Joe, which turned Japan Society’s stage into a boxing ring, this production marks the New York premiere of Murai’s latest madcap Shakespearean innovation. Hamlet | Toilet is performed by KPR members Masayuki Gouke (professionally known as G.K. Masayuki), Yuki Matsuo, and Takuro Takasaki. Performed in Japanese with English supertitles.
The troupe will give four total performances, but please note that the first performance, on Wednesday, January 10, is sold out. There are still tickets available for the remaining three, with an artist Q&A following the performance on Friday, January 12. To purchase tickets, please visit Japan Society’s website.
HAMLET | TOILET ©photo by Takashi Ikemura
About Kaimaku Pennant Race
Founded by Yu Murai in 2006, Kaimaku Pennant Race (KPR) is a Tokyo-based theater company known for off-the-wall theater work presenting a uniquely contemporary Japanese view, often inspired by Western masterpieces. They have achieved worldwide recognition through their in-demand repertoire pieces such as 1969: A Space Odyssey? Oddity!; Romeo and Toilet, and Ashita no Ma-Joe: Rocky Macbeth, performed in France, Romania, Thailand, South Korea, the US, and Japan. In 2009, the company performed Romeo and Toilet in the New York International Fringe Festival, earning Four Stars from Time Out New York for its “fantastic combination of ingenious movement; surreal story lines; and dynamic, startlingly disciplined performers."
The company’s remarkable sets have also caused quite a stir, with one of their most notable set designs being a large toilet created from 10,000 toilet paper rolls for Romeo and Toilet. 1969: A Space Odyssey? Oddity! had its successful world tour, visiting popular international theater festivals and venues such as Festival d’Avignon (France), BABAL F.A.S.T. (Romania), Carthage Theatre Festival (Tunisia), ST-BOMB festival (South Korea) and Thong Lor Art Space (Thailand) from 2015 through 2018. Audiences around the world have embraced the company’s original approach to physical comedy and Western adaptations, describing their work as “a real artistic experience” (La Provence, France).
Ashita no Ma-Joe: Rocky Macbeth premiered at the Theater Rakuen in Shimokitazawa, Tokyo, in February 2017 and was presented by Japan Society in New York in May 2019, garnering rave reviews. Their most recent work, HAMLET | TOILET premiered at Komaba Agora Theater in Tokyo in September 2023.
HAMLET | TOILET ©photo by Takashi Ikemura
About Yu Murai
Founder and Director Yu Murai reinterprets a wide variety of classical plays using extreme physicality and over-the-top humor. Known for his bold stage designs and sharp, witty dramas, he is able to convey his original and singular point of view through his meticulous and highly choreographed directing style. Most recently, he has started conducting workshops, lectures, and readings to expose young actors to his quirky and rich methodologies. Of his plays, Theatrorama (France) wrote, “If you see [his] shocking work, you cannot return to earth ever again.” His company’s performances invite audiences to enter surreal, high-octane worlds, through aesthetics and tropes borrowed from Japanese pop culture. Today, the troupe is one of the most promising theater companies in Japan, blending high-art and entertainment.
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“JOHN CAGE’S JAPAN” TO BEGIN AT JAPAN SOCIETY
© Photo by Yasuhiro Yoshioka, Courtesy of Sogetsu Foundation
Cage Shuffle
Created and Performed by Paul Lazar; Choreographed by Annie-B Parson
An Original Performance Series Celebrating the Composer's Relationship with Japanese Culture
Thursday, September 28 at 7:30 p.m. – Followed by a Private Gathering for Artists and Members
Friday, September 29 at 7:30 p.m. – Followed by an Artist Q&A
Admission: $35 | $28 Japan Society members
Discover Cage Shuffle, the critically acclaimed 50-minute spoken-word solo work comprising a randomly determined set of texts taken from John Cage's 1963 "score," Indeterminacy. In this captivating performance, the beloved New York performer Paul Lazar brings dozens of Cage’s personal anecdotes to life, following the composer's notated instructions to present each aloud in exactly one minute. Through a mesmerizing blend of spoken word and meticulously choreographed movement by Tony Award-winner Annie-B Parson, audiences are treated to a thrilling experience where text and motion intertwine, creating connections that amuse and provoke contemplation. This production has wowed audiences worldwide since its 2017 premiere in New York, but for this one-of-a-kind John Cage's Japan performance, Lazar has packed the overall deck of roughly 200 pieces with handpicked Cage commentary on Japanese themes, Zen philosophy, and reminiscences as well as quotes from Cage's noteworthy friends and contemporaries, including D.T. Suzuki, Isamu Noguchi, and Hidekazu Yoshida.
© Photo by Yasuhiro Yoshioka, Courtesy of Sogetsu Foundation
SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CAGE AND JAPAN
Cage Shuffle is the opening performance in Japan Society's multi-month celebration of the special relationship between the iconoclastic American composer John Cage and the country of Japan. When Cage first toured Japan in 1962, the resulting series of concerts served to draw attention to the rhymes between his works and the sounds of avant-garde and classical Japanese music, cementing him as a pivotal artistic figure in the East and reinforcing many of Cage's creative impulses. Cage would continue to visit and perform in Japan multiple times throughout his life. Indeed, as Japan Society's Artistic Director Yoko Shioya boldly posits, "If John Cage had not encountered Japanese culture, there would have been no John Cage!" In support of this assertion, Japan Society presents John Cage's Japan, an original series of Cage-centric programming scheduled to take place this fall and winter at Japan Society’s auditorium.
© Photo by Yasuhiro Yoshioka, Courtesy of Sogetsu Foundation
JOHN CAGE’S JAPAN
Following Cage Shuffle, John Cage's Japan continues with innovative concerts curated by the composer, musician, and internationally recognized Cage expert Tomomi Adachi, in collaboration with New York's own International Contemporary Ensemble, America's leading ensemble for new instrumental work.
Events on October 21, November 16, and December 7 will each feature unique programming and acclaimed international guest performers, including Broadway vocalist and avant-garde composer Gelsey Bell, Noh actor Wakako Matsuda, and experimental sound artists Tania Caroline Chen and Victoria Shen. (Note: Program details and lineup are subject to change.)
Tickets for Cage Shuffle and all John Cage's Japan performances are on sale now. For more information and to make a purchase, please visit Japan Society’s website.
Support JapanCulture•NYC by becoming a member! For $5 a month, you’ll help maintain the high quality of our site while we continue to showcase and promote the activities of our vibrant community. Please click here to begin your membership today!