Performances/Collaborations

PERFORMANCES AND COLLABORATIONS

Omote (面)

Omote (面) is co-creation between Vancouver dance artist, Shion Skye Carter and Halifax mask maker, Miya Turnbull. By choreographing with hand-crafted papier-mâché masks of each of their faces, coming in myriad shapes and facial expressions, the artists explore their mixed Japanese Canadian heritage, collating and contrasting their personal experiences, while evoking the ritualistic nature of Japanese traditions such as the tea ceremony.

This performance challenges traditional ideas of beauty, while gestures and tableau articulate the Japanese concept of ‘honne’ (a person’s true feelings) and ‘tatemae’ (their public face). Omote (面) translates to both ‘surface/face’ and ‘mask’, and explores multitudes of layers of being and the self, manipulating what is revealed and what is hidden, honing in on the churning, transitory nature of identity.

We were brought together by Yume. Digital Dreams collaboration project presented by Tashme Productions in 2022, which united 14 Japanese Canadian artists together.

EASTERN CANADA PREMIERE: LIVE ART DANCE 2025

February 28, 8PM (SOLD OUT)

March 1, 2PM (SOLD OUT)

March 1, 8PM (SOLD OUT)

Bus Stop Theatre, HALIFAX, NS

TICKETS THROUGH LIVE ART DANCE AVAILABLE HERE

WESTERN CANADA PREMIERE: VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL DANCE FESTIVAL 2025

March 12 + 14, 7PM

Roundhouse Performance Centre, VANCOUVER, BC

TICKETS THROUGH VIDF AVAILABLE HERE

MUSIC: Stefan Nazarevich (Vancouver, B.C.)

COSTUME DESIGN (KIMONO): Laura Fukumoto (Vancouver, B.C)

DRAMATURGY: Julie Tamiko Manning (Montréal, QC)

LIGHTING DESIGN: MacKenzie Cornfield (Halifax, NS) + Hina Nishioka (Vancouver, BC)

50 Minutes, No Intermission

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts and Live Art Dance

This project also exists in several forms:

Short Film:

The film version (featured above) has screened at several film festivals including FIN (Atlantic International Film Festival, 2022), International Portrait Film Festival in Bulgaria (2022), Asian Arts: Environments of Resilience and Sustainability, Media Arts Exhibition (Korean Film Festival Canada/ Arts East-West) Dazibao Gallery in Montréal (2023) and Shifting Tides (Dance Films from Atlantic Canada, as part of IMPACTfest 2023) among other showings in galleries and venues in Canada, Germany and China.

Past Performances:

We developed a 20 minute version of Omote (面) as a live performance, Spring 2023, commissioned by CanAsian Dance Kickstart Program and co-presented by Tangente and Festival Accès Asie. This performance was supported by Canada Council for the Arts and Kinetic Studio in Halifax. We performed in Montréal May 6-9th, 2023 and Toronto May 12-14th, 2023.

Limited Edition Art/Photo Book:

We had a photo session with Nanne Springer before the premiere of Omote (面) in Montréal and the results from that photoshoot, I made into a photo book, thanks to the 2023 Art & Photo Book Award by Booooooom.

Copies can be purchased across Canada at these Gallery Bookshops:

Burnaby, BC: Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre Giftshop

Calgary, AB: Esker Foundation Gallery Bookshop

Toronto, ON: Shintani Gallery

Halifax, NS: EyeLevel Gallery Bookstore

PRESS:

"Omote (面) at Vancouver International Dance Festival", The Bulletin, Jan 2025

"OMOTE: A Melding of Artistic Expressions and Experiences", Nikkei Voice, Feb 2025

"Revealing Layers Within", Nikkei Voice, May 2023

RECENT COLLABORATION PROJECT

LADDER 梯子

EMIKO AGATSUMA (BUTOH), MIYA TURNBULL (MASKS) AND GOZU MEZU (MUSIC)
APRIL-JUNE 2024

Japan-Canada International Exchange Project

日本カナダ国際文化交流

Collaboration by Emiko Agatsuma and Miya Turnbull

Music by Gozu Mezu (Hitoshi Sugiyama)

"Ladder 梯子" explores layers of cultural identity, masking, Japanese imagery and connections of shared ancestry and memories. The project also researches and honours multiple generations through the history of the Japanese diaspora in Canada as experienced by Miya's maternal family. Emiko and Miya have been working together in a creative residency in Halifax, N.S. from April through to June to combine their artistic skills to create approximately a 30-40 minute performance. Hitoshi has been working remotely and in-person with Emiko and Miya, to create an ambient musical landscape also inspired by his Japanese and Canadian experiences, paired with live performances of Taiko drumming and Shinobue (Japanese flute)."Ladder 梯子" explores layers of cultural identity, masking, Japanese references and connections of shared ancestry and memories. The project also researches and honours multiple generations through the history of the Japanese diaspora in Canada as experienced by Miya's family, as well as folklore and imagery such as Yokai (supernatural entities) and Yūrei (ghosts). Emiko and Miya have been working together in a creative residency in Halifax, N.S. from April through to June to combine their artistic skills to create approximately a 40 minute performance. Hitoshi has been working remotely and in-person with Emiko and Miya, to create an ambient musical landscape also inspired by his Japanese and Canadian experiences, paired with live performances of Taiko drumming and Shinobue (Japanese flute).

Together during their creation residency, new masks of each performer have been created and inspired by the choreography, movement and music and in turn, the performance has been influenced and informed by Miya's masks in true collaboration form. This is just the beginning of their collaboration together. They hope to further expand and develop their project and showcase across Canada and Japan in the future.

Performances occurred June 28th + 29th, 2024 at the Bus Stop Theatre in Halifax, NS

Artist Biographies:

Emiko Agatsuma is a versatile Japanese artist recognized for her role as a traditional Butoh dancer, choreographer, and as the long standing Artistic Director at AGAXART, a platform dedicated to nurturing Butoh talent in Japan and internationally. www.agaxart.com and Instagram: @emiko.agatsuma

Miya Turnbull is a multi-disciplinary visual artist based in Kjipuktuk (Halifax, NS). She is primarily a mask-maker, and new to her practice is performance. Miya is 3rd and 4th generation mixed Japanese Canadian and British Canadian.

Hitoshi Sugiyama was born and raised in Japan and is currently based in Edmonton, Alberta. He is a musician specializing in improvisation, ambient electronic music as well as Taiko (drum) and Shinobue (flute). He has released 2 albums under the name of Gozu Mezu: Homesick (2022) and Shogyomujo (2022). https://t-a-i-l.ca/artists/gozu_mezu/index.html and Instagram: @gozu_mezu

For more information about our project, workshops and performances please visit: https://www.agaxart.com/ladder

This project has been generously supported by the Arts Council Tokyo (Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture), Arts Nova Scotia (Support4Culture) and the Canada Council for the Arts/ Conseil des arts du Canada. Additional thanks to Kinetic Studio, Prismatic Arts Festival, the Japanese Society of Halifax, NS Dance (DANSpace) and the Bus Stop Theatre.