Kamioroshi, the Descent of the Gods
A kawaraban (woodblock pamphlet type newspaper). Title: Jishin yoke no uta (earthquake-averting song) Namazu-e-Daikoku redistributes wealthiest’s riches.
Kamioroshi, the Descent of the Gods
by Ron Richardson
Directed by Sonoko Kawahara
Choreographed by Momo Suzuki and Kevin Suzuki
- Thursday, December 12th at 7:30pm
- Friday, December 13th at 8pm
- Saturday, December 14th at 2pm and 8pm
- Sunday, December 15th at 7pm
Studio ONE
BU College of Fine Arts
855 Commonwealth Ave, 1st Floor
Free & Open to the Public: Reserve seats
In both Japanese kagura-music and dance, and Noh theatre, the descent of the deity is called kamioroshi. Kamioroshi occurs in sacred time and space. It bends and fuses both dimensions to bring a Shawnee and an African American fugitive slave into an encounter with Japanese peasants during the violent and destructive creation of modernity. Discovering that they share many fundamental values in common, they set out on a pilgrimage to rectify the world.
Produced by the BU Arts Initiative and Ron Richardson in cooperation with BU College of Fine Arts School of Theatre, co-sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences and the BU Center for the Study of Asia
Artist Bios (click for full bio)
Ron Richardson - Playwright
Ronald Kent Richardson holds a PhD in European cultural/intellectual history and political theory from Binghamton University. He has held faculty and administrative positions at Binghamton University, the University of Rhode Island, Fordham University, Howard University, Clark University in Worcester, MA, and Harvard University. He is currently an associate professor in the Department of History at Boston University, where he teaches courses on modern Japanese history, the comparative study of Asian and Black writers, the history of racial thought and the uses of history as source for theater, film and TV.
Sonoko Kawahara - Director
Sonoko Kawahara is a New York-based theatre director, performer, and choreographer. Her works have been presented notable performance spaces such as New York Theater Workshop, Dance Theater Workshop, HERE Arts Center, P.S.122, Women’s Project, Music Theater Group, La MaMa E.T.C, Japan Society, etc. Her work has been supported by Rockefeller’s MAP, NEA, Japan Foundation, The Jim Henson Foundation, Asian Cultural Council, and the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council and others. She is a Drama League directing fellow and a member of “Usual Suspects” at NYTW, Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab. She is also a guest artist at Fordham University and NYU, Artist-in-Resident at Boston University and was a Resident Artist of Mabou Mines. She holds an MFA in directing from Columbia University School of Arts. Kawahara is the co-founder and artistic director of Crossing Jamaica Avenue.
Momo Suzuki - Choreography
Momo Suzuki founded the Japanese Folk Dance Institute of NY in 1992 to promote and preserve the traditional folk dances of Japan and to expose American audiences to Japanese culture. Ms. Suzuki and her company have performed at venues and events such as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Asian Night at Shea Stadium, Disney’s Epcot Center, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. While acting as choreographer for the institute’s primary dance troupe, Minbuza, she also uses her extensive knowledge and experience in the traditional performing arts to serve as choreographer and technical/cultural advisor to numerous American and Japanese productions, recently advising for the Portland Opera’s 2019 staging of Puccini’s Madame Butterfly. Her choreography work can be seen in diverse arenas such as C. Eule Dance’s “The Crane Wife”, Madonna’s music video, “Nothing Really Matters”, as well as at the 2012 and 2016 Winter Olympics Ice Dance programs for Japan National Team’s Cathy and Chris Reed.
Kevin Suzuki - Choreography
Kevin began his training from the age of five, learning Japanese folk dance from his mother, Momo Suzuki. As a young child, Kevin began performing professionally with Minbuza, The Japanese Folk Dance Institute of NY’s primary dance troupe, appearing at venues such as The Asia Society and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Currently, Kevin serves as Assistant Director in JFDINY, while also appearing as a featured solo and ensemble dancer. Annual appearances include the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens Cherry Blossom Festival and Japan Day@Central Park. His dance expertise is in the folk cultures of Northern Japan, most notably Iwate’s Nameshida Onikenbai, an Intangible Cultural Property of which he is the sole practitioner outside of Japan. His solo choreography credits include Riyo Saito’s chamber opera, “Dojoji”, performed at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall in 2019. He is also a full-time member of modern dance group MoustacheCat Dance. Outside of dance, Kevin is a composer, writing original music for film and tv, and has created the music for “New York Ondo”, an original Bon-Odori song and dance produced by JFDINY.
Cast (Alphabetical Order)
Eric Cheung (Peasant Man)
Caitlin Fischer (Irishman & Ancestor)
Sebastian Garbe (Samurai & Ancestor)
Loan Kieu (Peasant Woman 1)
Alexandria King* (Woman)
Willow Lautenberg (Ebisu & Ancestor)
Carey Lin (Peasant Woman 2)
Jo Mercado (Sambaso & Ancestor)
Kevin Mooney (Yama no Kami)
Michael Rosegrant (Gongen-Sama & Ancestor)
Michael Valladares (Shawnee)
Sophronia Vowels (Namazu & Ancestor)
Micheline Wu (Ancestor)
*Denotes Actors Equity Association member
Design and Management Heads (Alphabetical Order)
Ryan Blaney – Sound Designer
Qian Chengyuan – Lighting Designer
Ryan Goodwin – Costume Designer
Emilia Kaczmarkiewcz – Technical Director
Karin Naono – Stage Manager
Ricky Moats – Production Manager
Design and Production Team (Alphabetical Order)
Albina Aleksandrova – Assistant Scenic Design
Dylan Avillanoza – Run Crew
Gabe Bagdazian – Assistant Costume Designer
Katey Christianson – Properties Master
Shira Goldstein – Run Crew
Lawren Gregory – Master Carpenter
Daniel Ibrahim – Props
Timothy Lewis – Paint Charge
Ami Okazaki – Rehearsal Assistant to the Director
Aria Pegg – Assistant Properties Master
Emma Roth – Assistant Technical Director
Liza Ryus – Puppetry Head/Draper
Lee Speth – Production Assistant
Students of Stagecraft 147, 149, and 197 – Costume Build Crew and Paint/Scenic Build Crew
