2014年11月17日 オックスフォード大学で講義
2014年11月17日、オックスフォード大学にて吟剣詩舞の講義を実施。
日中は講義のみとして、日本語や日本文化を履修している学生および担当教授に、吟詠・剣舞・詩舞の歴史や変遷を講義した。
校内には左記のチラシで特別講義のお知らせが告知され、学年問わず、幅広い学生が出席した。
夜は多くの学生が参加できるように、学内ホールに場所を移し、授業時間後に全学部から観覧および体験希望の学生を集めて、吟詠・剣舞・詩舞の実演を開催した。
正座での座り方や、礼儀作法としてお辞儀のやりかたなど基本所作から、舞ならではの、扇子の持ち方、風景を見る振付や敵陣を目指す勇壮な振付も指導した。
Report of Oxford University Japan Society
Ryuou Arai is the new President of the Kin’ou School of Dance in Tokyo, an establishment which has been in his family for generations. On 17th November 2014 he kicked off his UK Tour in Oxford. One of the main aims of the tour is to raise the profile of Japanese traditional arts and culture outside of Japan.
Ryuou gave a lecture at the Oxford University Oriental Institute to a selection of Japanese speaking staff and students. He explained the style of dance which involves fan, sword, singing and vocal work. This was followed by a dance performance and interactive workshop in English, to a diverse audience with varying degrees of knowledge about Japanese arts. Ryuou demonstrated and described the meaning of the choreography, the stories behind the dances and how they relate to Japanese culture. He gave four excellent performances.
The first two focussed on natural imagery, illustrating the aware(poignant) nature of winter and the beauty of Japanese spring time. During these routines Ryuou used his fan to depict a wide variety of themes from the tale of a young man out in the snow, moving forward to the arrival of the cherry blossoms in spring. The third piece was an energetic tale of battle, from preparation to the bloody battle itself. Ryuou-san used a sword to illustrate the differences between Kabuki, Noh and his own style of dance. Apparent within this interpretation was the thought provoking portrayal of the calm after battle and the hollowness of war. His last dance incorporated aspects of the three earlier dances and included fan, sword and singing. It did not disappoint as a climax to his performance and wowed the audience.
Finally Ryuou-san taught the audience some basic dance moves following his dance style principles. Everyone embraced the opportunity to try out the moves they had seen performed and it was a fun conclusion to a very entertaining evening.