Festival Previews Video Blog

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The FIRST ever Kyoto Fringe Festival took place on the Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th June at the VasantaMala Indian Dance Institute in Kyoto, Japan.  Shakti confirmed that the Kyoto audience were rather different from the Tokyo audience.  Outwardly there was more of a wider age range from elderly 92 year old’s to younger children aged 6-7 years with parents constituting that in-betweenie age range.  Being slightly further south, the Kyoto weather was a lot better.

After performing at the 2009 Tokyo Fringe Festival, Marni Rice, the Chanteuse accordion player  took her show, De Joux Musique, to the first ever Kyoto Fringe Festival.  Accompanying her was the flamboyant Mika Haka with his show “Timaru” which also showcased at the 2009 Tokyo Fringe Festival at the end of May.

As well as managing and running the Kyoto Fringe, Shakti took to the stage with her show, “Eros of Love and Destruction”, a new creation to celebrate the first ever Kyoto Fringe Festival.

The Kyoto artists enjoyed their time in this unique ancient city.  Marni Rice enjoyed touring around the exquisite Japanese temples ringing the bells, whilst Mika visited all the fashion stores in downtown Kyoto.  Both enjoyed themselves in totally different ways and a superb first fringe festival was enjoyed by all.

It’s on to the Avignon OFF 2009 with The Garage International…

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“Whether the weather be fine, or whether the weather be not…”,  Japan’s temperature varies from cool in the north to tropical in the south.  With cherry blossom season fluttered to the winds, two fantastic Japanese fringe festivals enjoyed a very successful run.  The first of them being…

The THIRD Tokyo Fringe Festival which took place over the last three days of May at the Shakti Studio in Tokyo.  With “Collaboration & Communication” as their theme, Shakti was in touch to confirm that all went very well indeed.  They received packed houses at each performance with an appreciative audience enjoying the multi-talented local and international artists. The talented line up included:

Marni Rice with her show, De Joux Musique - “Songs of an Immigrant: Tales from Paris”, (New York, USA).

Mikhail Tank – with his show, “Soul Photography”, a theatre of psychological performance art, (Los Angles, USA).

Mika Haka and his dynamic voice in his show, “Timaru”, (Christchurch, New Zealand).

Egiku Hanayagi and her group of creative dancers with their show, “Homage to the Earth”, (Tokyo, Japan).

“Shiva” Belly Dance Dojo with her show, “Oriental Belly Dance”, (Tokyo, Japan).

The massively strong, Fugofugo Yumeji and Munenori Sawa with their exciting underground wrestling show called, “Exit” which was a sell-out at the 2009 Adelaide Fringe, (Tokyo, Japan).

Andrew Bush’s documentary film about the Ninja called “Heart, Sword and Perseverance”, (Alabama, USA).

Groundplay Entertainment’s new short film about a foreigner living in Japan called “My Ex-Girlfriend’s TV”, (UK / Japan).

Mieko Nishimura’s beautiful Buddhist paintings called “Sora”, (Kyoto, Japan).

Mieko Misawa as Jungle Mom with her “BODY” graphic poster artwork exhibition (Tokyo, Japan).

And last but not least we have the two founders of the TFF, Shakti & Dwayne Lawler who not only direct, produce and run the festival but make sure to perform in it too!

Dwayne Lawler and Yoshiko Naruse showcase a 20 minute black comedy called  “Clown vs Girl” (Sydney, Australia).

Then there is Shakti with her energy giving show “Kundalini Yoga Workshop” (Japan/India).

And finally, Shakti and her semi-improv show “1001 Nights”, where the audience are invited to bring in their choice of music the night before (Japan/India).

Apparently the weather in Tokyo was terrible during the Fringe - pouring rain!  Sadly they were unable to use their rooftop bar to mingle and socialise with members of the public afterwords.  Nevertheless, nooks and crannies are always found and the artists mingled and socialised with their very happy audience.

Check out what happened at the Kyoto Fringe Festival tomorrow…

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Round oval multi-coloured luminous eggs themed the launch of the 63rd Edinburgh Festival Fringe programme.  This exciting out of the box visual viral symbolizes anticipation of the Fringe - engage that imagination to find out what’s inside the egg!

Perhaps it also heralds an interesting observation - a beginning possibly; the most promising being, Kath M Mainland as the new Chief Executive of the Fringe Society.   Taking the reins after last year’s unfortunate events, there was considerably less raz at this year’s launch held at the EICC compared to last year.   We should be gratefull however, that with a recession in full swing, the Fringe’s programme stats are up!  A promising light at the end of the tunnel perhaps?   So sit back and watch the video, there’s great information to be gleaned and so much more interesting than a long read.  Eggs-actly!

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It’s such a refreshing change to celebrate Burns by exploring one of the more fundamental influences of his life - his family.  After all, if it weren’t for family, what are we?  As part of the Homecoming Scotland 2009 festivities, members of The Grants Braes Burns Club of East Lothian have uniquely championed the 250th anniversary of Robert Burns with an inspiring  tribute to “The Mother of All Burns”.

Written and directed by the acclaimed BAFTA award winning playwright, Andrew Dallmeyer, this superb  dramatic programme of song, music and verse celebrates the intriguing family connection of Robert Burns with the county of East Lothian.   As early as last year, this strong historical theme was also present in another of Andrew Dallmeyer’s much acclaimed works, The Battle of Pots ‘n’ Pans which premiered in Prestonpans and also at the 2008 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

As The Mother of All Burns, Juliet Cadzow of Balamory fame superbly captures the spirit of Agnes Broun as she scales the depths of this character and resurrects those sunken sensations of a distant past.  She skilfully reveals to the audience a most fascinating individual, highly intelligent, albeit sadly illiterate who passed on to Burns the traditional songs and ballads that made her son the much loved and celebrated poet he is today.

As they say, no great story should be without great music and Coreen Scott’s beautiful voice, utterly joyful, fills the grand vaulted ceiling of The Great Hall at Lennoxlove, (the estate which Burns’ brother Gilbert was employed as Factor).  Coreen is a member of the lively folk trio, Laverock which I was lucky enough to see at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2007… and bought the CD too ~ just superb!!

The simple humanity of The Mother of All Burns is a superbly crafted piece of work.  Bob Mitchell & David Murray from The Grants Braes Burns Club are top-notch in their supporting roles which local audiences thoroughly enjoyed.  Hopefully this most refreshing of dramatic works will be seen again and again…

Article by, Shakti, Artistic Director, The Tokyo Fringe, The Kyoto Fringe and The Garage International.

The 1st Kyoto Fringe Festival will take place on June 6 and 7, 2009 at the VasantaMala Indian Dance Institute in Kyoto.

The intimate space will welcome the most daring and adventurous international artists who will have the challenge of communicating and collaborating with the residents of the ancient capital of Japan.

The First KFF will host Marni Rice (De Joux Musique)  with her lovely voice, accordion playing and story.  “Songs of an Immigrant:  Tales from Paris”  will be open the KFF.

It will be followed by wild and outrageous gay Maori entertainer, Mika Haka with his new show, “Timaru”. Tribal meets Las Vegas.  Mika is definitely one of a kind and is ready to stun the quiet Kyoto audience.

The final of the trilogy of shows is Shakti, a well known and loved personality and dancer in Kyoto which is the city where she was born.  Shakti is the first foreigner to receive the Kyoto Prefectural Government’s Arts and Culture Medal of Honour for her unique and innovative dance.

With 3 unique artists coming from New York, New Zealand and India/Japan, the 1st KFF is bound to awe and give the audience a taste of world art and culture.  The artists in return will be welcomed with the warm hospitality of Japan.  After the shows there will be a time for the audience to meet the artists and communicate with them.

Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan, shall be hosting the most avant garde festival, the Fringe.