Ichimura Manjiro II

An introduction to Kabuki theatre

Part I

Introduction to the art of Kabuki theatre:
including make-up masks, costumes, traditional dressing techniques, movements and forms.

Part II

performance of the celebrated traditional
dance piece ›Fuji Musume‹ (The wisteria girl). After the performance the dancers will be pleased to take questions from the audience.

Majirô II, the ensemble's leader, is an actor who specialises in women's roles (onnagata) but is also highly regarded for his distinctive stage presence in male roles. To introduce the traditional Kabuki art form to wider audiences, he founded the ›Kabuki for Everyone‹ project in 1992. The accessibility of his acting style combined with his desire as an artist to communicate his innermost feelings, have made the project a tremendous success with first time as well as non Japanese speaking audiences. ›Kabuki for Everyone‹ has already been presented in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Japanese Culture Institute

In co-operation with the Japanese Culture Institute and the Japan Foundation, Tanzlandschaft Ruhr and the Choreographisches Zentrum NRW presented a unique introduction to the art of Japanese Kabuki theatre.

Photos: © SAKUMA Rjôji, Shôchiku Co., Ltd