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Gueat Artists
Yuko Osada
Music Producer

Graduated in instrumental music from Musashino Conservatoire of Music. Majored in music synthesis and was the first Japanese graduate of this major at Berklee College of Music. Won the Casio Computer Music Competition in the United States. Studied at the Institute Research Computer Music (IRCAM) in France. After returning to Japan, she has produced many multimedia performances using computer-controlled images and music. Performed for the Japan Festival at the International Exposition in Spain. Presented a paper on "Music Education Using Interactive Technology" at the International Acoustics Music Society at Beijing University in China.

Osada practices a new type of musical education based on interactive technology and has developed two new methods. The first is interactive feedback in the creation and evaluation process. The second method uses interactive multimedia, which by creating links with other media when constructing a musical concept, develops the importance of a realistic social context that generates action.

Kanjiyama Mime
Pantomime Company

Kanjiyama A (Yoshiko Fujikura)

Yoshiko started studying classical ballet with Toshiko Saiga at the age of 12. After 15 years of training, she met Mamako Yoneyama and started her professional mime career. She has toured internationally, participating in various festivals both as a dancer and a mime. In 1985, she was invited by Tony Montanaro, the foremost American mime, to study with him in South Paris, Maine, USA. The Kanjiyama Mime Company emerged as a product of her studies there. Yoshiko has taught pantomime methods to numerous drama groups in the Tokyo area. She also holds a professional license in Shiatsu (finger pressure therapy), which she uses to treat professional actors and actresses.

Kanjiyama B (Takeo Fujikura)

Takeo has studied mime extensively with Tony Montanaro, the noted American mime and teacher. He received his Master's degree in Theatre from the State University of New York (SUNY at Binghamton), and taught mime classes for the SUNY Theater Department from 1983 to 1985. He has also toured throughout New York State, performing and conducting workshops at many junior and senior high schools. In July of 1985, Tony Montanaro invited Takeo to his mime workshop. There he and Yoshiko formed Kanjiyama Mime.

Presently, Takeo teaches mime in the theatre department of Toho Gakuen Junior College and Tokyo Taiiku Daigaku (Tokyo Women's Sport Science University). He has written two books on mime. He has just finished translating 'The Mime Book' by Claude Kipnis, which will be released by Bansei Shobo Publishers this November.

Kanjiyama C (Koji Sugawara)

After graduating from high school, Koji immediately began studying mime with Kanjiyama Mime. After graduating from the theatre department at Toho Gakuen Junior College, he also studied with Tony Montanaro, who has taught other members of Kanjiyama Mime. Koji has now been touring with Kanjiyama Mime for several years.

Why don't you turn on your own super computer now?

The use of personal computers is getting more and more popular. Computer technology is developing and expanding so fast that we don't know where it might lead us.

But wait! Did you know that you have great potential within you that computers just can't beat? Yes, you are a super computer yourself! Have you ever tried to unearth and cultivate the super hardware and software inside yourself? If you are just enjoying virtual reality, sitting in front of the computer screen, you are missing all the fun. Get up off your chair and join us! We will take you to a far more real and exciting world. Before we start, you'll need to warm up your hardware (body) and software (imagination/inspiriation) in the workshop.

Here's a story from ancient India. A king asked one of his wise men the difference between a truth and an untruth. The wise man answered that it was about 3.5 inches (almost 9 centimeters). Now, do you understand what he meant? He was saying that if you just listen unquestioningly to others, you might believe what is untrue, but you know things are true when you confirm them with your own eyes. Therefore, the difference between untruth and truth is the distance between your two ears, which is about 9 centimeters.

Everyone, let's shorten this distance of 9 centimeters by confirming with your body and your eyes! Let's see what amazing things you can do with your body, imagination and inspiration through pantomime!

haruki
Costume Designer

male, age 37
i love playing.
i have to play with everything, my beautiful house, flowers and the stray cats that come to my garden, words, sound, clothes and even my life.
everything i have around me is a toy.
i love my life.

Ken Bushby
Stage Producer

I love that I am able to make things that people admire and have been lucky to work in the highly energetic areas of film, theatre, fashion, art and education.

For the moment, my home is in Australia, but for many years I lived in Tokyo and worked as a designer and as a teacher.

I am endlessly inspired, amused and astounded by the sometimes ordered beauty and the sometimes slap-happy madness that surrounds us. Perhaps that is why I've had such a long and intense love affair with Japan and am delighted to return and be part of the playshop project.

What I hope to contribute to the playshop

As the designer of the playshop playspace, I'm hoping to provide an inspiring, engaging environment which participants will explore and create, invent and re-invent, shape and reshape - like a giant construction game, which will encourage intelligent choices and purposeful interaction according to the needs of the various playshop activities.


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