Event Details

IKKAI means once: a transplanted pilgrimage is an immersive work that weaves together modern dance, Japanese Obon folk dance (Bon-odori), and a musical score with taiko drums, guiding audiences through a first-person narrative that explores the Japanese American experience during World War II.

“I wanted to center the experience of Japanese Americans, not the institutions and governments that history focuses on. I hope you feel the people who inspired this dance,” writes choreographer Yayoi Kambara, a California-based dance maker and director of KAMBARA+.

IKKAI incorporates selections from poet and activist Janice Mirikitani (1942-2021), live accompaniment by taiko artist PJ Hirabayashi, and original music by Paul Chihara, PJ Hirabayashi, and Roy Hirabayashi, with a movement score performed by the dancers of KAMBARA+ to take the audience on a journey from the normalcy of life through the brutal process of being uprooted and incarcerated. The work culminates in a circle dance of gratitude and recognition in which we are all invited to participate.

This performance of IKKAI is the first section of the three-part Sankei project created in collaboration with KAMBARA+ - visit the website page to learn more.

The audience is seated on the stage and space is limited - get your tickets today!