Joker in the Forest

Katsura Kan

NEW YORK BUTOH FESTIVAL 2005: PERFORMANCE

“I have been in Thailand from 1997-2000, mainly researching the minority tribe (the Karen hill tribe) in northern Thailand near the border of Myanmar (formerly known as Burma). I was very much attracted to the process of training elephants by a Karen trainer who was originally a good hunter. These trainers seem to be like shamans who recognize that the elephant is not just an animal. Wild elephants are spirits from the tropical rain forest. The shaman’s training reminds me of a ‘dance of the forest’. They respect the WILDNESS. Therefore, Karen trainers have a ceremony of how to throw away their humanity for a while which is also very interesting. This is an advantage for the shaman because they become a ‘joker’ in the game. In this way, I tried to create Joker in the Forest — which may be very spicy.”

Documentation

Documentation Images Video Documentation All (Private)
KATSURA KAN | JOKER IN THE FOREST
KATSURA KAN | JOKER IN THE FOREST
4 photos

Flyers & Postcards Gallery More
2005 [printed matter]
2005 [printed matter]
3 photos

(U.S. Premiere)

Object Identifier

AMP.PRG.2005.4002.8

ID number

4002.8

Year Created

2005

Language

English

Curated Filters

Space / Location

Premiere Venue

THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY
10/21/2005, 10/23/2005
155 First Avenue - NY, NY

Premiere Venue specific dates

      Choreographer/Performer:
      Kan Katsura

      Lighting Designer:
      Scott Bolman

      Sound Designer:
      Francior Sardi

      Poem Reading:
      Gabriella Daris

      Music:
      Xenakis on Drums
      NikBaertsch on Piano

      Special Thanks to Joseph Housil.

      Festival Videographers : Shige Moriya and Catalina Santamaria

      CAVE NY BUTOH FESTIVAL TEAM

      Directors
      Ximena Garnica Gomez
      Jeff Janisheski

      Producer
      Zachary Grace Model

      Associate Producers
      Gabriele Schafer
      Audra Lang

      Curators/Founders
      Ximena Garnica Gomez
      Jeff Janisheski
      Juan Merchan
      Zachary Grace Model

      Fundraising Associate/Panel Coordinator
      Tanya Calamoneri

      Publicist
      Aaron Rosenblum

      Box Office Manager
      Kristin Narcowich

      Festival Bookkeeper
      Shiho Kondo

      CAVE ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
      Artistic Director/Founder
      Shige Mariya

      Executive Director
      Ximena Garnica Gomez

      CAVE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
      President
      Shige Moriya

      Vice President
      Zachary Grace Model

      Treasurer/Secretary
      Ximena Garnica Gomez

      Officer
      Juan Merchan

      Thanks to the partnering venues and their staff who have helped to make this 2005 festival a success:

      THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY
      Production Manager·
      Marc Marcante

      Technical Director
      Richard Reta

      Special Thanks to Joseph Housil

      CAVE NY BUTOH FESTIVAL TEAM
      Directors
      Ximena Garnica Gomez
      Jeff Janisheski

      Producer
      Zachary Grace Model

      Associate Producers
      Gabriele Schafer
      Audra Lang

      Curators/Founders
      Ximena Garnica Gomez
      Jeff Janisheski
      Juan Merchan
      Zachary Grace Model

      Fundraising Associate/Panel Coordinator
      Tanya Calamoneri

      Technical Director/Lighting Designer
      Scott Bolman

      Web Master/Festival Photographer
      Joshua Weiner

      Publicist
      Aaron Rosenblum

      Workshop Manager
      Christine Coleman

      Box Office Manager
      Kristin Narcowich

      Festival Bookkeeper
      Shiho Kondo

      Merchandise Coordinators
      Hiromi luchi
      Michelle Danna

      Graphic/Web Designers
      Yumi Asai (postcard and brochure)
      Leila Cardenas (festival logo and website)
      Hiromi luchi (festival T-shirt)
      Sean Zwier (poster and program cover)

      Festival Videographers
      Shige Moriya
      Catalina Santamaria

      Stage Manager
      Fred Hemminger

      Assistant Stage Manager
      David Boylan

      Stage Crew
      Tanya Calamoneri
      Scott Piscitelli
      David Slaza

      Translators/Assistants
      Tara Hassel
      Chie Otsuka

      CAVE ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
      Artistic Director/Founder
      Shige Mariya

      Executive Director
      Ximena Garnica Gomez

      Executive Assistant
      Audra Lang
      Bookkeeper
      Shiho Kondo

      CAVE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
      President
      Shige Moriya

      Vice President
      Zachary Grace Model

      Treasurer/Secretary
      Ximena Garnica Gomez

      Officer
      Juan Merchan

      THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY
      Production Manager·
      Marc Marcante

      Technical Director
      Richard Reta

      Thanks to the partnering venues and their staff who have helped to make this 2005 festival a success.

      Thanks to the following individuals for their assistance:
      Anna Belous; Dance Theater Workshop and Megan
      Sprenger; Kurt Gottschalk; Johanna Mochidome;
      Allen Model; and Teiko Seki and Bob Guthrie.
      We extend our deepest thanks to our box office staff,
      technical staff, and all CAVE volunteers, without whom
      the festival and CAVE’s programs would not be possible.

      And to Shige — thank you!

      People

      Katsura Kan
      Scott Bolman
      Francois Sardi
      Gabriella Daris
      Nik Baertsch
      Xenakis
      Joseph Housil