Workshop and Performance - Transforming a Medieval Saga Into a Contemporary Ballad and Dance Performance - Organised by Irmela Hijiya-Kirschnereit

Itō Hiromi wrote a contemporary version of the medieval Buddhist legend “Sanshō”. This tale, told by itinerant storytellers, was adapted as Bunraku and Kabuki theatre, and modern versions include a story by Mori Ōgai and Mizoguchi Kenji’s film. Itō’s feminist version of 1993, “I am Anju himeko” (Ich bin Prinzess Anju, tr. Irmela Hijiya-Kirschnereit), focuses on the fate of Anju, who is cruelly abused by various men but survives and meets other figures from Japanese folktales. Itō will transform the saga into a contemporary performance with Butō artist Kaseki Yūko and koto-player Nishi Kanoko. The workshop analyses the layers of transformation and translation between expressive media, including the role of music and video installations. It highlights literary, social and cultural-historical aspects, including Itō’s critical deconstructions, and discusses issues of historical and contemporary transculturation, Butō-choreopolitics and Butō as a choreographic intervention.