SANSEI: THE STORYTELLER

Cloudsway Dance Theatre

SANSEI: THE STORYTELLER

Created and performed by Kunji Mark Ikeda

“...he dances, and says more with the movement of his fingers than many actors do with reams of dialogue."

Louis B. Hobson, Calgary Herald

On December 7, 1941, an attack on Pearl Harbor triggered one of the darkest periods in Canada’s history - the internment and dispossession of tens of thousands of Japanese Canadians. In a tale that is both illuminating and profoundly personal to Ikeda, layers of dance, narrative, historical audio, and family recollections are woven together in a moving exploration of his family’s experiences. With compassion and unexpected humour, he shares his discovery of where he came from, and how the rampant racism of past generations has affected the Japanese community today.

Length: 55 minutes, no intermission | Touring company: 1 actor and 1 crew

Rider available upon request | Available 2021 and beyond

RECOGNITION

Winner: Best of Fest, 2015 Calgary International Fringe Festival, Nominee: Best Solo Performance, 2015 Calgary Critter Awards, Nominee: 2019 Betty Mitchell Award for Outstanding Choreography or Fight Direction, Nominee: 2019 Betty Mitchell Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Drama

REVIEWS

“While drawing on history, it's a timely story presented in a uniquely beautiful style.” Joff Schmidt, CBC Manitoba

“The agony and ambiguity of the Japanese internment comes out as much in his dance as it does in his words – his movements are filled with a sense of a man under pressure.” Stephen Hunt, Calgary Herald

“The remarkable thing about Sansei: The Storyteller is that Ikeda laces it with genuine humour and compassion.” Louis B. Hobson, Calgary Herald

Click here to watch Kunji Mark Ikeda interviewed on CTV News.

TOUR HISTORY

Winnipeg Theatre Fringe Festival (2019), High Performance Rodeo / Lunchbox Theatre (Calgary 2019), TheatreONE (Nanaimo), Key City Theatre (Cranbrook), Langham Cultural Centre (Kaslo), Leviathan Studio (Lasquetti Island), Capitol Theatre (Nelson), Shuswap Theatre (Salmon Arm), Kohan Garden 25th Anniversary Celebration (New Denver), Powell Street Japanese Festival (Vancouver)

CREDITS

A Cloudsway Dance Theatre Production

Created and performed by Kunji Mark Ikeda

Stage Manager: Emma Brager

Photos by iCandyfilms.com

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