On May 7th and 8th, Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture, will host "Art Mix Japan," a Japanese festival featuring 25 first-class stage and performing arts performances. Unlike the West, where song and dance developed independently, Japan is said to have a unique culture, unique even on a global scale, where all arts are connected through festivals. This event will bring together traditional performing arts representative of Japanese culture, including kabuki, rakugo, kyogen, kagura, and traditional Japanese instruments, to Niigata. 25 performances will be held at 10 venues across the city, from the Niigata City Performing Arts Center Ryutopia Concert Hall, Theater, and Noh Theater to theaters and long-established restaurants. Each performance is 45 minutes long, and tickets are affordable. Full commentary is included, making it a great opportunity for beginners to experience traditional performing arts. On May 7th, Ryutopia will host an ensemble featuring leading figures in singing, shinobue, and piano in the Concert Hall, starting at 3:05 PM. At the theater, Amami Island Song and Bunraku puppet theater will be performed from 11:00 AM, a rare Japanese magic performance from 1:35 PM, the Niigata Sou Odori dance, a Niigata summer tradition, from 4:20 PM, and a Japanese drum performance by TAO, which has attracted 6.5 million audiences worldwide, from 7:15 PM. At the Noh Theater, a Kyogen performance by Kyogen performer Nomura Manzo IX will be held from 12:15 PM, a mechanical shadow puppet art show that captivated the Edo commoners from 3:05 PM, and a performance by one of today's most notable Shinobue flute players from 5:50 PM. Other venues include a performance by a young four-piece Japanese instrument unit leading the Niigata music scene, innovative art that revolutionizes the concept of calligraphy, and Japanese dance.
On the 8th, a hand shadow puppet show by the Kakashiza Theater Company will be held at the Ryutopia Concert Hall from 2:25 PM. At the theater, you can enjoy Kagura (traditional Japanese dance) from 10:30 AM, Tsugaru Shamisen (a traditional Japanese shamisen) from 1:05 PM, and Nohgakubayashi (a traditional Japanese musical instrument) from 3:40 PM. In the Noh Theater, you can enjoy an 800-year-old Japanese martial art using real swords from 11:50 AM, a Kyogen performance by the Shigeyama Sengoro family from 2:25 PM, and a Kongo-ryu Noh performer and Noh mask maker, Utaka Michinari, will provide an easy-to-understand guide to the world of the mind from 5:10 PM. Other venues offer koto and shamisen performances, rakugo (traditional Japanese storytelling), ozashiki dance, and gagaku (traditional Japanese court music). Finally, the grand finale of the year will be a kabuki performance by Kataoka Ainosuke at the Ryutopia Theater from 6:30 PM. Free performances will also be held at the Niigata Station South Exit Plaza and Hakusan Park Sky Garden, and performances at each venue are affordable, starting at 1,500 yen. Four types of set tickets are also available for each day, allowing visitors to enjoy multiple performances at once. On the 7th, a set of Amami Shimauta (Okinawa Island folk music), puppet theater, kyogen by Nomura Manzo IX, and sleight of hand is 7,100 yen; a set of Amami Shimauta (Okinawa Island folk music), puppet theater, sleight of hand, and Edo utsushi-e is 6,400 yen; a set of sleight of hand, Edo utsushi-e, and shinobue is 6,100 yen; an ensemble of singing, shinobue, and piano, the "Niigata So Odori," and Japanese drums is 8,100 yen. On the 8th, a set of kagura (Japanese dance music), kobujutsu (traditional martial arts), and Tsugaru shamisen is 7,600 yen; a set of Noh music, Noh, and kabuki is 12,000 yen; a set of Tsugaru shamisen, kyogen, and kabuki is 10,800 yen; and a set of kagura (Okinawa Island folk music), kobujutsu, and hand shadow puppetry is 6,200 yen.
[Event Information]
"Art Mix Japan 2016"
Venue: Niigata City Performing Arts Center / Ryutopia Concert Hall, Theater, Noh Theater, Enkikan, Gyōgaitei, Nabechaya, Japanese Restaurant Kosan, Former Ozawa Family Residence, Former Saito Family Villa, Niigata Station South Exit Plaza, Hakusan Park Sky Garden, and more
Address: Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture
Dates: May 7th and 8th
