ASHINAGA is one of Japan's largest aid organizations. They support the educations of thousands of Japanese students who have lost parents to disease and natural disasters. Over the past several years, they've also begun working throughout the African continent.
We were invited to work alongside Tony Winning Director, John Caird, to create a theatrical piece that told the story of Ashinaga and the students they serve. Over two years, we interviewed hundreds of Japanese and Ugandan students to create a series of songs and dances about their experiences living through the 2011 Tsunami in Tohoku and the AIDS crisis in Uganda. Incorporating three languages, Taiko drumming, Ugandan dance, and classical singing, we staged over 80 performers from the US, Japan and Uganda in a piece which we've performed for more than 5000 people at Lincoln Center NYC, Washington DC, Tokyo, Vassar College, and The Ndere Center in Kampala, Uganda. A documentary that chronicles the process of making the piece is currently being edited in Tokyo. |