![A female dancer is in mid-turn, one leg raised and bent behind her. Other dancers are standing, scattered around the stage along with old suitcases and Taiko drums.](/sites/default/files/styles/event_header/public/2023-08/ikkai%20event%20header%20no%20color.png?h=e6f36a9c&itok=sAA6J7Kr)
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!