MANILA, Philippines - The Japan Foundation (JF), with its aim to promote and encourage cultural exchange and cooperation between the Philippines and Japan, announces its lineup of programs to celebrate Philippines-Japan Friendship Month in July. There is something for everyone as the Japan Foundation showcases the best of Japanese cinema, visual arts, music, dance, and theater with premier Filipino talents for the whole month of July.
Dance
To warm up the mix of activities, the Japan Foundation has invited Maki Morishita, a multi-awarded Japanese contemporary dance artist to join the WiFi Body 4: Contemporary Dance Festival, from June 25 to July 4 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). Some of the highlights of the program are a performance of an original collaboration piece by Morishita with Filipino dance artists, and the announcement of the winner of the WiFi-JF-CCP NeXtage Award.
For the past two years, the JF has supported WiFi’s New Choreographers Competition and endorsed its winners to the Yokohama Contemporary Dance Competition and other Japanese contemporary dance programs. Last year’s WiFi winner, Rhosam Prudenciano Jr. was recently awarded the 2009 Yokohama Dance Collection R grand prize.
Theater
Japanese theater is represented by Yoji Sakate’s “Three Sisters: A Noh Play,” in the Virgin Labfest Anthology, a Philippine publication featuring fifteen of the best plays of the festival in the past 4 years. The anthology will be launched during the fifth Virgin Labfest, at the Cultural Center of the Philippines from June 24 to July 5.
This year, Kiyokazu Yamamoto’s “Kitchen Medea” will be among the 15 new plays to be shown publicly for the first time in the fifth Virgin Lab Fest. Japanese director, Toshihisa Yoshida helms the Filipino cast.
Cinema
The much-awaited Eiga Sai formally heralds the opening of Philippines-Japan Friendship Month on July 2, Thursday at the Shangri-La Plaza Mall. It will then be brought to Davao (July 18 and 19) at the Gaisano South Citimall; Cebu (July 28 to Aug. 2) at the Ayala Center, and Baguio (August 7-11) at the Centermall.
The Japan Foundation participates in the third installment of the Silent Film Festival, co-organized with the Goethe Institut, Instituto Cervantes, the French Embassy and other diplomatic offices, with the screening of the Japanese silent film, Jirokichi, The Rat, which opens the festival on July 30, Thursday at the Shangri-La Plaza Mall.
Only July 31, Friday, 7 p.m., Larry Greenberg, a Japanese silent films expert and CEO of Digital Meme (the company responsible for restoring and conserving Japanese silent films), will show his varied collection of Japanese anime and silent films at the University of the Philippines Film Institute. The screenings will be followed by a lecture to introduce the uniqueness and culturally entertaining side of Japanese films to Filipino movie-goers.
Visual Arts
Eleven of Japan’s younger generation of artists are featured in “Passage to the Future: Art from a New Generation in Japan,” a contemporary arts exhibition opening at the mcad (Museum of Contemporary Art and Design), DLS-CSB School of Design and Art, 950 Pablo Ocampo Street, Malate, Manila, on July 7, 6 p.m. Forty-two Japanese art pieces inspecting the details of everyday life and the expression of personal perceptions and feelings, will be juxtaposed with works by Filipino contemporary artists. Marian Pastor Roces curates. Exhibition will run until Aug. 7, Friday.
Music
A musical highlight of the month is the “J-Classic Concert: A Night of Japanese Harmony,” featuring four of Japan’s fast-rising young classical musicians — Susumu Aoyagi (piano), Takako Hagiwara (flute), Ayako Ishikawa (violin), and Risa Kataoka (koto) — with Filipino classical and jazz guitarist, Sixto “Butch” Roxas on July 14 (Tuesday) and 15 (Wednesday), 7:30 p.m. at the CCP Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (Little Theater), Cultural Center of the Philippines, Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City.
On July 16, Thursday morning, the Japanese musical quartet will hold a music workshop and share current trends in teaching and learning classical music at the UST Conservatory of Music.
In the afternoon, Japanese music producer, Hiroyuki Takashima, will give a talk on his experience in the Japanese music industry, including his encounter in bringing the Beatles to Japan.
All events, except for the Silent Film Festival screenings, are free of charge to the public. Reservations are encouraged as event venues may have limited audience capacity. For inquiries and reservations, call the Japan Foundation, Manila at 811-6155 to 58, e-mail: email@jfmo.org,ph. Event details can be checked at www.jfmo.org.ph or the JFM Facebook page.