Three generations of Japan’s renowned Nomura family of Kyogen are scheduled to perform in Kaohsiung with actor Mansai Nomura in a work dedicated to victims of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
The performances, staged by the Mansaku-no-Kai Kyogen Co at the National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying), include four shows starting yesterday, featuring performers in their 20s, 60s and 90s to showcase different stages of mastery in the traditional art form, the artists said.
Kyogen is a classical Japanese comic theater with a history of more than 600 years. It uses exaggerated movements, rhythmic speech and symbolic gestures to portray everyday life and folk stories with humor and satire.
Photo courtesy of the National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts via CNA
At a press event yesterday, 95-year-old Mansaku Nomura, a Living National Treasure of Japan, demonstrated excerpts from “Tsukimi Zato” (The Moon-Viewing Blindman), which depicts how a blind man experiences the moon through sounds such as those of insects.
Mansai described his father’s performance as “aged wine,” reflecting refinement over time, while his son represents “new wine,” full of potential. “As for myself, I am somewhere in between, more like a manager,” he said.
Another highlight of the program is “Mansai Bolero,” a 17-minute dance work created and performed by Mansai. The piece blends Maurice Ravel’s “Bolero” with a traditional Kyogen dance to depict the cycle of life from seed to growth and renewal.
Mansai said the work was originally created to honor victims of the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, and to reflect on recovery and rebirth. He also expressed gratitude for Taiwan’s support following the disaster.
Mansai, who is performing in Kaohsiung for the third time, said he has been impressed with local audiences, adding that they often react “even before the subtitles appear,” which he described as deeply rewarding.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was sentenced to six months in prison, commutable to a fine, by the New Taipei District Court today for contravening the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法) in a case linked to an alleged draft-dodging scheme. Wang allegedly paid NT$3.6 million (US$114,380) to an illegal group to help him evade mandatory military service through falsified medical documents, prosecutors said. He transferred the funds to Chen Chih-ming (陳志明), the alleged mastermind of a draft-evasion ring, although he lost contact with him as he was already in detention on fraud charges, they said. Chen is accused of helping a
SECURITY: Starlink owner Elon Musk has taken pro-Beijing positions, and allowing pro-China companies to control Taiwan’s critical infrastructure is risky, a legislator said Starlink was reluctant to offer services in Taiwan because of the nation’s extremely high penetration rates in 4G and 5G services, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday. The ministry made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, which reviewed amendments to Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法). Article 36 bans foreigners from holding more than 49 percent of shares in public telecommunications networks, while shares foreigners directly and indirectly hold are also capped at 60 percent of the total, unless specified otherwise by law. The amendments, sponsored by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
RSS