Kyōgen Workshop 2017
On March 24, 2017, Katsumi Yanagimoto led a kyōgen workshop for students in the Japanese Language Program.
In the video below, Yanagimoto and several students perform "Chidori (Plovers)."
Chidori (Plovers)
Kyōgen
Kyōgen (meaning "mad words" or "wild speech") is a form of traditional Japanese comic theater that developed as a sort of intermission and comic relief between performances of more solemn noh plays. The kyōgen is very short, so costumes and props are simple and minimal. There are usually only two or three roles, traditionally played by male actors.
In kyōgen, the acting is exaggerated, featuring slapstick and satire, and although the performance is sometimes accompanied by the music of flute, drums, and gongs, the main emphasis is on the dialogue and action rather than the music or dance.