Swords, music, action!

Art director and choreographer Fumio Matsuki explains the samurai spirit thus: "To face one's death without fear, and fight for justice persistently. It's an indescribable beauty. The death of a samurai is the ultimate beauty, like a dream of cherry blossoms falling in the spring. To risk one's life in order to fulfill a samurai's duty under difficult and dangerous circumstance. Such courage is in the name of beauty."

"Each and every movement of tsurugi delivers a sense of decisiveness. To me, it symbolizes life, in which every moment also implies a sense of determination. The moment two swords collide with each other is a reflection of the moment of encounter and departure in life. Such is the philosophy I'd like to convey in our performance."

Founded in 1995, O-Getsu-Ryu has drawn inspiration from the ancient history of Japan. Tale of Genji (2000) is a love story based on the masterpiece written by Lady Murasaki Shikibu in the 11th century. Musashi and Himiko (2002) are, respectively, stories about famous samurai in the early 17th century, and Japan's first queen in 3 AD.

In 2002, the group was "discovered" by a Dutch impresario at the Tokyo Performing Arts Fair and has quickly won the hearts of European critics since then. In Japan, meanwhile, O-Getsu-Ryu is said to have an influence on thousands of Kendo groups and strives to incorporate contemporary rhythms into the ancient art of sword fighting.

Performance Notes:

What: Sakuya

When: Tonight through Sept. 30. All shows begin at 7:30pm

Where: Taipei (Sept. 23 to 25, 國父紀念館); Taichung (Sept. 26, 台中中山堂); Zhongli (Sept. 27, 中壢藝術館); Tainan (Sept. 28, 台南市立文化中心); Chiayi County (Sept. 29, 嘉義縣表演藝術中心), Kaohsiung (Sept. 30, 高雄中山大學逸仙館)