Japanese Tea and Ritual Room—卯月Uzuki (April) Performances: April 19 - April 20, 2024

 

Created by Maho Ogawa In Collaboration with Performers Carolyn Hall and Annie MingHao Wang 

Sound by Tomoko Hojo

Supported by Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grant

Cross Promotion by Japan Society

 

Japanese Tea and Ritual Room consists of interactive installations inspired by personal rituals, as described by survey participants. Live performance activations of the installations realize the cultural intersections of the concept of "nothingness" that Japanese tea ritual invokes. During each performance activation performers will evoke a zen garden as human statues, stretching our sense of time so that we may find presence in the stillness.

 

Performances are being presented in celebration of the release of Maho's article in Push/Pull which was published by Culture Push in March 2024. Interrogating her roots as a Japanese choreographer, Maho began researching the Japanese tea ritual for its formality, concept, and the social function as a community gathering.

 

In 2023, she conducted a survey about personal rituals of the local community in New York. Results and reflections from the survey, along with an overview of Japanese Tea Culture, and an interview with a Japanese Tea Master, Yoshitsugu Nagano, are presented in the article.

 

Performance Dates & Times:

Friday, April 19th* Installation open: 3pm - 8pm Activations begin at 4pm, 6:30pm, and 8pm