The Hidden Arts of Kabuki Dance

Master dancer Michiko Kurata (stage name: Hanayagi Sukekatsumi) offers a rare glimpse into the hidden world of traditional Japanese dance in a performance demonstration in the Ruth Nagel Jones Theater at Wellesley College on March 11th at 7 pm. This will be her third performance for Wellesley College. Kabuki dance (kabuki buyo) originated in Japan over 400 years ago among female street performers in Edo (modern day Tokyo) and spread throughout all classes of society. Ms. Kurata has been performing traditional Japanese dance for thirty-five years in Japan and the U.S. At the age of fifteen she was awarded “natori” status and earned the professional name of Hanayagi Sukekatsumi. Since coming to the U.S. in 1996 she has performed at numerous cultural shows and lectured at local colleges on traditional Japanese dance. She has a Masters in Teaching degree from Tufts University and has been teaching high school world history, while also giving lectures on traditional Japanese dance and music at Boston area universities. In recent years she has been working on choreographing dances based on traditional Japanese dance and music. She is the choreographer and dancer for Bamboo and Cherry Blossoms, a group that performs koto and shakuhachi music.

This event is free and open to the public.

http://www.wellesley.edu/events/node/80081