Thurs., September 9, 6:00 – 7:00 PM;
Fri., September 10, 6:00 – 7:00 PM;
Sat., September 11, 4:00 – 5:00 PM and 6:00 – 7:00 PM
Shofuso Japanese House and Garden,
4301 Lansdowne Drive,
West Fairmount Park,
Philadelphia, PA, 19131
Tickets $20, available through Philadelphia Fringe Festival Box Office
(215-413-1318 or www.livearts-fringe.org) and at www.shofuso.com |
 To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the first Japanese mission to the U.S., Leah Stein Dance Company will perform Japan House/Philadelphia, a site-specific dance piece
at Shofuso Japanese House and Garden in Fairmount Park on September 9 through 12, 2010.
Joining the company will be Japanese artists Hideo Arai and Mika Kimula and Japanese-
American artists Toshi Makihara and Roko Kawai in this dance that commemorates the 150th
Anniversary of the first Japanese mission to the U.S. and honors the murals of Hirosho Senju.
LSDC will create the piece with long-time collaborators percussionist Toshi Makihara and
dancer/choreographer Roko Kawai and Japanese partners dancer Hideo Arai and singer Mika
Kimula. This project builds upon a collaboration begun in 2007 and 2008 when Leah Stein
traveled to Japan to create work in a 200-year-old traditional home, Izu House, located two hours
south of Tokyo on the Izu Peninsula. Izu House is located on the same road on which Admiral
Perry’s ‘black ships’ landed.
Leah Stein, Artistic Director & Choreographer, Leah Stein Dance Company;
LSDC created On-Site Philadelphia in 2004 as a city-wide dance project that
incorporates unusual and historic sites and local communities in original
performance presentations.
Hideo Arai, a Japanese artist, has performed site-works in temples, shrines,
grassy fields, streets, and in an operating trolley car.
Mika Kimula, a highly trained Japanese vocalist versed in both Japanese Noh
chanting as well as operatic and experimental genres.
Roko Kawai focuses is on her Japanese/American identity and she intensively
explores the relationship between her love and practice of traditional Japanese
dance and contemporary post-modern improvisation.
Toshi Makihara is a distinct voice in the Philadelphia region and has performed
in the improvisational music scene internationally for almost two decades .
Painter Hiroshi Senju’s exceptionally beautiful murals grace the walls of
Shofuso and will inspire the choreography. |
The production of Japan House/Philadelphia is supported by a generous grant from the Japan
Foundation.
Leah Stein Dance Company, founded in 2001, is a well-seasoned group of movement artists
whose mission is to create and perform collaborative, site-specific dance works; to bring new
meaning to people’s connection to the physical environment through the artistic work; and to
bring work directly into the lives of people of diverse backgrounds, ages and ethnicities. LSDC
created On-Site Philadelphia in 2004 as a city-wide dance project that incorporates unusual and
historic sites and local communities in original performance presentations created and performed
on location throughout the region. We collaborate with musicians, singers, composers, visual
artists, community members, schoolchildren, historic sites and parks, including residences in
Philadelphia public schools.
Shofuso, a shoin-zukuri (desk-centered) house, built in 17th century style, is located on the
grounds of the Horticultural Center in the West Fairmount Park. The perfectly proportioned
architecture of the main structure and adjoining tea house is enhanced by an ornamental garden
and picturesque pond. For over fifty years, the Japanese House and Garden, in Fairmount Park
has served as a symbol of Japanese–American friendship and is considered a cultural treasure in
both Japan and America. The house was designed by Junzo Yoshimura in 1954 for exhibition at
the Museum of Modern Art to introduce American audiences to Japanese design. The house was
relocated to Fairmount Park in 1958 as a gift from the people of Japan.
From networking events to the annual Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival, from the Philadelphia-
Japan Health Sciences Dialogue to our bi-monthly Japanese Conversation Club, the Japan
America Society of Greater Philadelphia offers nearly 70 events throughout the year for people
to get involved in the Japanese and American communities here in Philadelphia. Our members
share a dedication to fostering understanding, cooperation, and exchange between the US and
Japan.
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