By Manjari Kaul
On the 23rd of January, the Kaden Theatrical Art Company in association with Japan Foundation, New Delhi organized a workshop on Japanese theatrical techniques and stylistics. Madoka Okada, the co-director of the play 'Looking In & Out', staged at the 14th Bharat Rang Mahotsav conducted the workshop with two others from his theatre company.
The team displayed certain standard stances and movements of the classical Japanese dramas, Noh and Kabuki. The importance of channelizing the energy inside our bodies to observe those stances during performance was also discussed.
"It is important to make our bodies still. Stillness brings silence," said Okada.
The discussion on energy reminded me of a book by theatre researcher, Eugenio Barba, called A Dictionary of Theatre Anthropology: The Secret Art of the Performer in which the writer points out that in Noh, the term energy can be translated as 'ki-hai' which means the profound agreement (hai) of the spirit (ki) with the body. Spirit here is used in the sense of spirit as 'pnema', breath. The Sanskrit word, 'prana', points out Barba, is equivalent to 'ki-hai'.
That movement as well as stillness can be a visible form of language, was discussed. A gesture can be way of communicating a feeling, a mood or words. The performers presented snippets from their play 'Looking In & Out' to illustrate the concept of movement as visible language.
Emphasis was laid on concentration during performance. The mind should be able to concentrate in such a way that it can look at the body from outside it. To achieve balance in one's posture during dance and performance it is important to concentrate on the body's centre.
The Japanese tradition of voice control in a modern day context was discussed. Okada also spoke about how he deploys light as an element in his production that not just sets the mood and alters the perception of the scene but acts as a co actor in the play.
The informative and educative workshop culminated in the participants learning a few basic stances and movements of Classical Japanese theatre. The participants shared performance space with the experts to learn how to establish a well balanced yet fluid body during performance.
On the 23rd of January, the Kaden Theatrical Art Company in association with Japan Foundation, New Delhi organized a workshop on Japanese theatrical techniques and stylistics. Madoka Okada, the co-director of the play 'Looking In & Out', staged at the 14th Bharat Rang Mahotsav conducted the workshop with two others from his theatre company.
The team displayed certain standard stances and movements of the classical Japanese dramas, Noh and Kabuki. The importance of channelizing the energy inside our bodies to observe those stances during performance was also discussed.
"It is important to make our bodies still. Stillness brings silence," said Okada.
The discussion on energy reminded me of a book by theatre researcher, Eugenio Barba, called A Dictionary of Theatre Anthropology: The Secret Art of the Performer in which the writer points out that in Noh, the term energy can be translated as 'ki-hai' which means the profound agreement (hai) of the spirit (ki) with the body. Spirit here is used in the sense of spirit as 'pnema', breath. The Sanskrit word, 'prana', points out Barba, is equivalent to 'ki-hai'.
That movement as well as stillness can be a visible form of language, was discussed. A gesture can be way of communicating a feeling, a mood or words. The performers presented snippets from their play 'Looking In & Out' to illustrate the concept of movement as visible language.
Emphasis was laid on concentration during performance. The mind should be able to concentrate in such a way that it can look at the body from outside it. To achieve balance in one's posture during dance and performance it is important to concentrate on the body's centre.
The Japanese tradition of voice control in a modern day context was discussed. Okada also spoke about how he deploys light as an element in his production that not just sets the mood and alters the perception of the scene but acts as a co actor in the play.
The informative and educative workshop culminated in the participants learning a few basic stances and movements of Classical Japanese theatre. The participants shared performance space with the experts to learn how to establish a well balanced yet fluid body during performance.
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