Cultural: East Asian

Odaiko Performance in Andover

Odaiko New England taiko ("big drum") ensemble on the road in Andover, Massachusetts at Phillips Academy's Cochran Chapel. Featuring superb selections from Odaiko's repertoire, this outstanding kumi daiko ("group drumming") performance had high energy, smooth orchestration and active choreography. Their best I've seen yet, and really fun!

We brought a couple friends with us to the show, and actually got one of them up on stage for audience participation!

See Also: Boston Dragon Boat Festival, 2001.
See Also: Odaiko Recital, 2001-12-07.
See Also: Odaiko Performance, 1999-05-16.

Erik Takes a Taiko Workshop

Conducted by Elaine Fong and several other sensei (teacher) members of the Odaiko New England taiko (big drum) ensemble. This was just an afternoon workshop at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education, Harvard Square, but it was a real thrill.

We're hooked. In February and March, Vicki and I took a five-week beginner course in taiko.Guess what...We're doing it again in April, with the six-week advanced beginner course!

Why? 'BANG THERAPY,' perhaps.

Odaiko Recital in Woburn

Odaiko New England taiko ("big drum") ensemble recital at their dojo in Woburn, Massachusetts. This performance featured the beginner and intermediate students and Odaiko's kumi daiko ("group drumming") ensemble members.

See Also: Odaiko Performance, 2002-04-12.
See Also: Boston Dragon Boat Festival, 2001.
See Also: Odaiko Performance, 1999-05-16.

Beijing Opera at CCAE

Ghaffar Pourazar, an Iranian-born, British-raised former computer animator, turned Chinese (Beijing) Opera performer. This artform (struggling against obscurity) is a mix of singing, acting, acrobatics, martial arts, and pageantry. It is almost exclusively performed by Chinese; normally starting training at a very early age.

Not so for the roughly middle-aged Ghaffar, who found success through hard work under the guidance of elder masters. Ghaffar treated us to a revealing recreation of his daily routine during years of training in China. This was followed by a costume and make-up demonstration and some fun-and-games with volunteers from the audience. This transformation culminated in the staging of a scene featuring one of the characters in his repertoire, the famous Monkey King.

The performance was at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education in Harvard Square. Ghaffar was invited as a special guest by Eric Bornstein of the Behind the Mask Theatre (see below).

Monkey King Tales at CCAE

With the guidance of Ghaffar Pourazar (see above) and leadership of Eric Bornstein, the Behind the Mask Theatre has created and performed their version of the famous Monkey King episodes excerpted from China's Beijing Opera.

This adaptation is a short tribute to the many art forms that is Chinese Opera: music, song, stylized dance and posture, facial expression, martial arts, and mysitcal stories of the Immortals of heaven.

Behind the Mask's version is a fusion of sorts, with the addition of traditional-style shadow puppetry not found in the Chinese stage performances. This troupe, true to form, portrays all the characters in masks that mimic the traditional face-paint makeup of Chinese opera.

The musical accompaniment of Frank Gerace's contemporary instrumentation, along with percussionist, singer and harp player Deborah Coconis, provides a similarly inspired stylistic adaptation.

These photos are from the dress rehearsal at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education in Harvard Square.

•Watch for forthcoming Boston Area performances of "Monkey King Tales," a Chinese folk "epic," performed by Behind the Mask Theatre.

Click the image link (right) to watch a short, 25-second MTV ("Monkey Television") montage from the dress rehearsal (Win/Mac QuickTime™).

Showa Japanese Festivals

Showa Boston Institute for Language and Culture is a satellite campus of the Showa Women's University in Tokyo. We first met representatives of Showa Boston at the Dragon Boat Festival, earlier this year. When we were invited to this beautiful Jamaica Plain campus for their annual public festival, we found it every bit the unique experience we had expected.

We participated in games, outdoor dancing, origami paper folding and conversation with the school's staff and students, each wearing bright, casual kimonos of infinite variety.

August Moon Festival in Boston

Not just China, but many countries of Eastern Asia are represented in this annual outdoor celebration in Chinatown.

Dragon Boat Festival of Boston

Boston's Dragon Boat Festival is an annual event on the Charles River, including the "Little Dragon Girls" dance performance by the Greater Boston Chinese Cultural Association, Japanese Taiko ("big drums") by Odaiko New England, Traditional Cambodian Dance by Angkor Dance Troupe, and... the Dragon Boat races! .

See Also: Odaiko Performance, 2002-04-12.
See Also: Odaiko Recital, 1999-05-16.
See Also: Odaiko Performance, 2001-12-07.

Odaiko New England in Brookline, MA

Odaiko New England taiko ("big drum") ensemble participates in a pan-Asian performance at Brookline High School.

See Also: Odaiko Performance, 2002-04-12.
See Also: Boston Dragon Boat Festival, 2001.
See Also: Odaiko Recital, 2001-12-07.

Kimono Fashion Show

The Hakubi Kyoto Kimono School presented an extraordinary fashion show of modern and classic kimonos at MIT, Cambridge. Hakubi is one of the largest and most prestigious kimono schools in Japan. Those of us fortunate enough to attend were treated to fascinating demonstrations. These included kimono model make-up application, as well as the very involved process of wearing the twelve-layered court kimono (junihitoe), attire rarely seen even by the Japanese.