① Opening Ceremony

On Saturday, September 24th, we held a ceremony to commemorate the premiere opening of "Miketsukuni Memoirs - Ama no Tabi Nikki". The ceremony, held before the premiere performance, featured guest greetings by several officers of the Awaji Art Circus Executive Committee.

List of participating members:

Vice Board Chairman, Director of Awaji Prefectural Citizens Bureau　Yoshitaka Fujiwara
Vice Board Chairman, Sumoto City Mayor　Katsunori Uesaki
Vice Board Chairman, Chairman of the Awaji Island Kuni-Umi Association　Ken Ishimura
Board Chairman, Awaji City Vice Mayor　Minoru Yamana
Vice Board Chairman, Minami-Awaji City Vice Mayor　Soichiro Babe
Vice Board Chairman, Pasona Group CEO　Yasuyuki Nambu

② Waka poetry featured in Miketsukuni Memoirs

In accompaniment with each performance in the show, we introduced six poems of waka poetry to evoke an atmosphere of era, along with the feelings of the protagonist.

③ "Miketsukuni", an original song and musical theme

The theme of the show focuses on the story of the historical region of Miketsukuni. At the beginning of the performance, audience members are drawn into the history and themes of Miketsukuni through both sight and sound; first via animated video projection imagery created by Brazilian audiovisual artist Ygor Marotta, and secondly through accompaniment by an originally composed song by beatbox artist SiMA. The song's original lyrics featured live narration depicting the story of Miketsukuni, and were provided by Yuji Fujisaki, who acted as the story's protagonist.

"Miketsukuni"
animated visual projection

Created by: Ygor Marotta (Brazil)

Ygor Marotta

Profile

Ygor Marotta is an audiovisual artist based in São Paulo. His work is a dynamic mix incorporating full use of diverse expressive forms, including sketches, animation, video, virtual reality, AI, music, and projection mapping projects which transform public spaces into live artistic scenes. He formed "VJ Suave" with Ceci Soloaga in 2009; since then, he has been working in the fields of art and technology, and has exhibited his works and performances in over 25 countries around the world.

Ygor Marotta's official website

https://www.ygormarotta.com/

⑤ Collaborative work with J.F. Oberlin University

This year, we worked with J. F. Oberlin University, who helped us to produce:

1. Stage decor for Miketsukuni Memoirs
2. Research on historical and cultural themes used in Miketsukuni Memoirs

Our collaboration began in March 2022, when members of the Awaji Art Circus team visited J. F. Oberlin University's Tokyo Hinatayama Campus for discussions with both the dean of its School of the Arts and other teachers.

The stage decor for Miketsukuni Memoirs was created by Professor Keiichi Tanaka, Visual Arts Specialist at the School of Art and Culture, J. F. Oberlin University. The decorative flowers, which illuminate during the show, were made using recycled materials. Professor Keiichi Tanaka was aided by twenty-two of his own students to produce the decorations.

【About the works】

Work name: The moment of light when crystal sakura dance

Concept and Direction by: Keiichi Tanaka, Professor of Arts and Culture; Erina Kashihara

The floating and wondrously illuminated shapes of cherry blossoms dancing in the air emit vivid color and glow in the dark as the outline of each flower becomes transparent when exposed to ultraviolet light.
Students specializing in light art utilized heat from a candle's flame to delicately shape recycled PET bottles into these individual flowers, which were then painted upon using a special paint that reacts to ultraviolet waves.
The space created by these fantastical cherry blossoms invites the audience into an unprecedented space-time world of light.

＜Comments from Professor Keiichi Tanaka＞

This work was created as part of a design project class - in project-type classes, we are always conscious of how we can resonate with the vector that society is aiming for. In recent years, amid the growth in awareness of practical issues in both industry and academia regarding the information field, these projects have become an effective educational method for producing human resources that the world demands today.

This time, we were able to witness the creation of cooperative relationships which did not exist before, and all of the students saw an enhancement in their own capabilities, such as presentation and management skills.

Professor Mariko Okada of the College of Liberal Arts, J. F. Oberlin University, provided us with advice regarding the waka poems, historical setting and costuming adapted for the performances of Miketsukuni Memoirs.

Professor Mariko Okada

College of Liberal Arts (in Japan)

Profile:

For several years, she studied the Kyomai Inoue style of traditional Japanese dance in Gion, Kyoto. In 2013, she published "The Birth of the Kyomai Inoue School" (Shibunkaku Publishing), for which she received the Suntory Prize for the Arts and Sciences. She now plans and manages theatre performances and exhibitions which have appeared at the Waseda University Theater Museum, the Ritsumeikan University Art Research Center, and the University of Michigan Museum of Art, among others. She continues to conduct her own social research on popular songs, theater, and entertainment, with a greater focus on Japanese dance.

⑥ Cultural Arts Program at Elementary & Junior High Schools

Our Mission:

Culture and the arts nurture our humanity, teaching us important qualities such as creativity, sensitivity, and communication which we carry throughout life. And for children, the opportunity to experience and appreciate the arts is an immense benefit to cultivating their sense of imagination and creativity.
Through carrying out this program, we aim to do what we can in deepening children's understanding of world culture and art, broading their horizons. Knowing what it means to work and live as a performer - these perspectives will not only deepen their understanding of the arts, but remind them of the avenues which are present to them in life.

＜Program Content＞

A specially arranged version of Miketsukuni Memoirs (to match school facility conditions)

＜Target Audience＞

Elementary and junior high schools on Awaji Island (information handed out to the board of education for each city, and performances were held at schools that applied)

＜Schools attended＞

Awaji City Hokudan Elementary, Awaji City Shiota Elementary, Sumoto City Toshi Elementary, Sumoto City Seiun Junior High, Sumoto City Hiroishi Elementary, Minami-Awaji City Shichi Elementary, Minami-Awaji City Shitoori Elementary

＜Program Date＞

Oct 4 (Tue) - Oct 7 (Fri)

Student participation:

Approx. 1,100 student

＜Comments from students of Sumoto City Hiroishi Elementary＞