INTERVIEW: Oida-Ito collaboration receives North American premiere at Japan Society
Photo: Makoto Yabuki and Kaori Ito perform in Le Tambour de Soie, which will receive its North American premiere, Oct. 24-25, at Japan Society. Photo courtesy of the Masion de la Culture d’Amiens, original producer of the show / Provided by Japan Society with permission.
Japan Society, the Manhattan institution that celebrates Japanese art in all its forms, will soon offer the North American premiere of Le Tambour de Soie (The Silk Drum), a new dance-theater work from actor Yoshi Oida and dancer Kaori Ito. Ito not only co-created the piece with Oida, but she pulls double duty and also performs in the work with Paul Lazar, co-founder of New York’s Big Dance Theater, according to press notes.
Le Tambour de Soie is based on Yukio Mishima’s modern retelling of a classic Noh drama, which finds an old man (Lazar) sweeping a theatrical stage and eventually falling in love with a dancer (Ito) who is performing nearby. Makoto Yabuki provides original music for the performances, which are set for Oct. 24-25 at 8 p.m.
Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Oida and Ito to learn more about their collective inspiration when creating Le Tambour de Soie. Oida is an accomplished actor, director and writer, while Ito is a celebrated dancer who has performed on stages around the world. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
How did you collaborate with Kaori Ito on the creation of this piece?
OIDA: I was mainly in charge of conception and direction, and Kaori was mainly in charge of choreography. But all final decisions were made by the two of us.
Has the piece changed since its debut in 2020?
OIDA: I don’t remember, but I think so.
Were you familiar with the original Noh play before working on this piece?
OIDA: I know Noh Theatre quite well and have even studied it, so, the original Noh piece was very familiar to me before I started to work on this project.
Would you say the piece is both comic and tragic?
OIDA: Human life is not comic and not tragic. Life is mysterious and beautiful.
What do you think is the old man’s motivation in trying to win over the dancer?
OIDA: Why do you think an old man’s motivations are different from a young man’s? Man’s thought is not dependent on age.
What do you think is the dancer’s motivation for issuing this impossible challenge (playing an unplayable drum) to the old man?
OIDA: Women are always mean to men.
What’s it like to work with Yoshi Oida?
ITO: He is very generous and gives a lot of energy and time for others. He was always telling me that he tries his best to support me in ways that make me look beautiful and human. He is always trying to make things better even after the premiere.
How difficult is the piece to perform?
ITO: It is difficult to play the role of someone who is both very elegant and close-minded, but, it is a pleasure to dance, talk and feel emotion in very different way.
Could you describe your character on stage? How do you see this dancer?
ITO: The dancer is beautiful, elegant, and she has difficulty showing her emotions. She is afraid to change, to become old instead of enjoying her life like this old man. She is sometimes touched by the old man but cannot yet open her mind until the end of the piece.
Were you familiar with the original Noh play that inspired this piece before working on The Silk Drum?
ITO: I have read the version by Mishima before and loved the whole adaptation. After Yoshi and I talked about working together, I read the original Nô version.
When did you realize you had the skills and desire to become a choreographer?
ITO: I have been choreographing since the age of 18 years old. I always wanted to express what was in my head. I had a lot of imaginations.
What do you believe is the ultimate message of The Silk Drum?
ITO: I think that the old man gives hope for believing in love at any age and any time in life. This gives the dancer strength to believe in what she does and continue to dance for the sake of life.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Le Tambour de Soie, co-created by Yoshi Oida and Kaori Ito, will have its North American premiere Oct. 24-25 at Japan Society in Manhattan. Click here for more information and tickets.
