Wakayagi dance instructor and her school celebrate their 10th anniversary

 

 

Hisame Wakayagi of Cypress has led her dance school Wakahisa-Kai for 10 years, and six of her students have obtained their natori artist names so far. From left, Kana Wakayagi, Ayame Wakayagi, Hisame Wakayagi, Kiyoka Wakayagi, and Ayaka Wakayagi. (Photo courtesy of Wakahisa-Kai)

 

    Japanese classical dance instructor Hisame Wakayagi of Cypress, Orange County, will lead her 60 students in showcasing the performing art of Japanese traditional dance at the James Armstrong Theater, 3330 Civic Center Drive, Torrance, on Sunday, March 11, at 12:30 p.m.

 

   General admission is $18. For tickets, call Hisame Wakayagi at (714) 826-3169 or e-mail yskinc1@aol.com.

 

   Dubbed as “Haru no Osarai Kai” (Spring Recital), the program will celebrate Wakayagi’s 10 years of teaching Nihon buyo (Japanese classical dance) in the Orange County and Los Angeles areas.

 

    “In America, people are very direct.  If they want to go right, they go right.  In Nihon buyo and Japanese culture in general, if you want to go right, first you go left,” explains Wakayagi.  “It is in this extra space between right and left that Japanese culture lies,”

 

    “Even if the American audience doesn’t understand the story, even if the words do not get through, they understand the essence of our dance,” also explains Wakayagi.  “For the performer, it is like standing in front of the audience naked, and the audience is able to pick up on this despite the cultural differences.”

 

    Hisame Wakayagi was born in Kusatsu city in Shiga prefecture. She started dance lessons during childhood because she was in poor health. The dance lessons helped to build strength because it combined both hard and soft movements. “It’s slow, but you use your muscles and you perspire,” she says. She learned the dance with an instructor of Fujima School in her childhood and later with an instructor of Hanayagi School in adulthood.

 

    In the 1970s, Wakayagi came to Southern California and started buyo lessons with an instructor of the Hanayagi School but soon Wakayagi was without a teacher because the instructor moved to Texas.

 

    In 1991, Wakayagi began taking lessons from Hisami Wakayagi of South Pasadena. Hisami Wakayagi is a veteran instructor of Seiha Wakayagi School and has presided over Hana-no-Kai for 30 years.

 

     Hisame Wakayagi was granted her natori artist name by Hisami Wakayagi, and later, she was granted the shihan teaching credential. 

 

    When she started Wakahisa-Kai in 1996, she only had 2 students, but over the years her school has grown to its current level of 71 multi-ethnic students, ranging in age from 2 into the late 70’s.  Wakayagi has dance studios in Cypress, Costa Mesa, West Los Angeles and Culver City. Six of her students have obtained their natori artist names so far.

 

    “Nihon buyo is expensive,” she says.  “But I want to spread our dance throughout the United States.” Wakayagi’s commitment to Japanese classical dance is clearly stated in the mission statement of Wakahisa-Kai: (Our mission is) to overcome the notion that traditional Japanese dance is “too expensive,” “requires too much time to master,” or “is too difficult,” and to introduce the Japanese tradition as much as possible.

 

   In addition to regular dance lessons, the Wakahisa-Kai helps cut costs by hosting a series of classes for its members on wearing kimono, applying stage make-up, and tailoring yukata.

 

(Gavin Kelley contributes to this story.)

 

The Spring Recital on March 11 (Sunday)

Program

 

 (Nagauta)Tsuru-Kame performed by Hisami Wakayagi, Hisame Wakayagi, and Hisaki Wakayagi. Nagauta by Yasofuji Kineya  Etsuko Yokota; Shamisen by Yasofujiko Kineya, Miho Nakagaki; Wajyoushi by Kevin Willoghby. It is originated from Noh music. Oh (king), Tsuru (crane) and Kame (turtle) congratulate a long and happy life in New Year occasion, dancing to the solemn and refined song.

 

(Kouta)  Matsuyoi Tsuki performed by Yumi Mizui. The dance is about a woman who waits for her love one to come at dusk of autumn. The chirping of insects increases lonesome in her lonely life.

 

(Yamatogaku ) Fuji-Murasaki performed by Luka Harino, Tomoko Kamiya. There is a very famous piece called “Fuji-Musume” in Nagauta, and this “Fuji-Murasaki” is its Yamatogaku version. Both are very popular female performance for the beautiful wisteria vines and the feminine dance.

 

(Kiyomoto) Onna Dayu performed by Shiyo Shimazaki. “Onna Dayu” is a woman entertainer traveling around to sing and dance from door to door, carrying a Shamisen and a straw hat on her head. Unlike a geisha, Onna Dayu dresses plainly, with bare-feet and wooden sandals, cotton kimono and sash.

 

(Doyo Children’s Song) Oyama no Osaru (Monkies in mountain) performed by Kentaro Kajino & Takamaro Kajino. This is such a fun dance that a father / a son dance together. Today is Takamaro’s first stage debut.

 

(Nagauta) Kishi no Yanagi performed by Yoko Fujii. This dance expresses beautiful summer scenes; the Sumida river, boating, the Yanagibashi bridge, all of which are associated with geisha activities. The dance shows true lyricism.

　　

(Doyo Children’s song)Ureshii Hinamatsuri performed by Miss Ashley Owaki (5 years old). Hinamatsuri is a girl’s day celebration in March.　A little girl enjoys and dances for the happy occasion.

 

(Nagauta)  Shio Kumi performed by Kana Wakayagi. “Shiokumi” is the standard classical dance, based on the legend, “Matsukaze Murasame.” A lady, Matsukaze, meets Yukihira, a noble exile, at the river where she fills the buckets with water. Yukihira loves her so much, so he gives her a kariginu (thin Coat) and an Eboshi (Headgear worn by the court nobles) as a keepsake of his love. The highlight of this piece is when Matsukaze dances with the triple umbrella.

 

（Kiyomoto）Kanda Matsuri performed by Jacqueline Pierce and Yoko Nakahra. Kanda Festival is one of the most popular festivals in Edo (Tokyo). A boss and a geisha dance cheerfully together with trendy and rakish character.

 

(Nagauta) Tenaraiko performed by Izumi Takiguchi. In the Edo era, a young girl with a parasol loiters on her way home from school. She chases butterflies in a spring field and dances of his awakening of her first love.

 

(Nagauta) Suehirogari performed by Wakako Clark and Sophia Sonyun Jeon. This dance is derived from Kyogen, “Suehirogari”. It begins when a young attendant, Tarokaja, has just returned from shopping. Tarokaja was asked to buy a fan which is called “Suehiro” by his master. Not knowing what a Suehiro meant, he went out. Then, he bought a parasol instead of a fan, which made his master mad. In the Nagauta version of Suehirogari, Tarokajya is sent on errand as a love-messenger by his female master.

 

 (Koto Music) Sakura-Sakura performed by Mako Nakayama  and Miho Yamamoto. It was composed in the Edo Era and has been well known among not only the Japanese but people in all over the world.

 

(Nagauta) Ayame Yukata performed by Misa Jean Nakaguchi. This dance premiered in 1856, portraying summer scenes, a seasonal event of Tango-no-Sekku, a boating party on the river. The dance depicts the atmosphere of early summer. Carrying an iris, the geisha joyfully yet tastefully to the lively music.

 

(Kiyomoto) Ryusei performed by Kiyoka Wakayagi. In Japan, it is said that on July 7^th (the Star Festival), the Altair and the Vega cross the Milky Way and meet for one night. On such occasion, Ryusei, a falling Star interrupts them by announcing the quarrel between husband and wife thunder. After husband thunder accidentally stepped off the cloud and fell into the home of female music teacher. After he returns, wife thunder shows jealous and leads to a quarrel. A child thunder & grandmother thunder attempt intervention. The dance is comical & requires light & skillful dance movements.

   

INTERMISSION  (15 minutes) Snacks will be served at the lobby.

 

An ensemble "Kaze no Uta”, composed by Tadao Sawai in June 1970, is performed by Mme.Hiromi Hashibe in koto and  Mr.Masakazu Yoshizawa in Shakuhachi.

 

 (Nagauta) Fujimusume performed by Hotaru Naya. “Fujimusume” is one of the most famous classical Japanese dance, taking its theme from one of the “Ohtsu-e”. Ohtsu-es are a series of popular caricatures in the Edo period. The dance portrays a wealthy girl, who goes on a picnic, wearing a gorgeous Kimono with a black lacquered woven hat and carrying a wisteria bough.

 

 (Nagauta) Ame-no-Goro performed by Brian Parsons. This dance features the “Aragoto” style, which shows energetic and quick movement. Goro, one of Soga brothers, displays his strength as he seeks his revenge on Kudo Suketsune who killed Goro’s father. It starts Goro putting up an umbrella goes to Oiso the pleasure quarter, where he buries himself in obscurity.

 

(Tokiwazu)  Mitsumen Komori performed by Chiemi Takaku.

 This is a humorous dance, noted its rapid change of characters by using 3 different masks. A nursemaid goes to a festival, and buys 3 different kinds of mask. The first one is called “Okame”: a joyful girl of good fortune, the second one, Ebisu”; a god of luck for fishermen, and the third one, “Hyottoko”; a jester. Putting the baby to sleep, she begins dancing with Okame.

 

 Ryukyu Classical Dance performed by Ben Higa. This dance presents two traveling entertainers who vowed to revenge their father’s death, by slaying his killers. Becoming the traveling entertainers, they were able to have the killers as audience and by using Karate in their dance they executed their objective. They are two important difference versions: first version consists of brandishing the head of a lion and a horse, and second version consists of dancing empty-handed employing karate gestures. This dance is one of most technically difficult.

 

(Nagauta) Miyako-Dori performed by Sachiyo Osako. Miyako-Dori is the name of Chidori , a plover in Sumida River area. This dance portrays Sumida River while season changes from spring to summer. It expresses the beautiful sceneries at the river and the sights of happy couples on the river boats.

 

 (Tokiwazu)  Yuuzuki Sendou performed by Mikiko Suyama. The dance portrays a boatman, rowing through the reedy river on a summer night, where the hazy moon is hanging in the sky.

 

 (Tokiwazu)  Yashiki Musume performed by Nobuko Takei. The families of a merchant often put their daughter out to service at a Samurai residence to receive proper etiquette and a good offer of marriage proposal. This dance is about the girl who is on her way home from work for a long-waited vacation. She dances with a parasol, later playing with butterflies and dances with hand-held drums. This piece is flamboyant and has many highlights.

 

(Kiyomoto)  Sanjya Matsuti performed by Riho Mizobe and Saki Mizobe. The Sanjya Festival in Asakusa has Dashi-Ningyo, which are dolls to decorate the floats. The dance is started by the Dashi-Ningyo, 2 fishermen with the lively movement who are filled with fun and happiness. The rapid part with the good (Zen-dama) and evil (Aku-dama) masks is the highlight of this performance.

 

(Nagauta) Haru no Shirabe performed by Sayaka Wakayagi and Yoriko Takami. This song was composed in 1865. It is danced elegantly for congratulatory occasion such as New Year’s celebration, wedding and anniversary. The calm and peaceful scenery of bright spring days are imagined.

 

(Nagauta) Katsusaburou Renjishi performed by Ayaka Wakayagi as father, and Ayame Wakayagi as cub.  This is a solemn dance which originally came from China. A lion realizes his cub is ready to leave the family. He pushes the cub over a cliff to train him to become independent. The cub rolls down to the bottom of the ravine and tries to climb up to his father. The dance is well known to express a love and a trust between a father and a son.　　　　　

 

(Nagauta) Shizu no Odamaki performed by Sumika Wakayagi. Shizuka Gozen, a mistress of Mimanoto Yoshitsune in captured in the Yoshino Mountain and is walked to Kamukura regime by subordinates of Minamoto Yoritomo, an elder brother of Yoshitsune . She is asked to dance as Shirabyoushi in front of Yoritomo, his wife Masako and his subordinates at Tsuruoka Hachiman Shrine. Yoritomo is betrayed and is devised a stratagem of killing his young brother, Yoshitsune. Shizuka dances with her brave and resolute attitude, longing for Yoshitsune and his safe and long life.