Schools'Project
Kabuki provides a unique distillation of Japanese culture. Although essentially concerned with drama, it includes music, dance, costume, art, and an insight into the historical foundation that underlies modern Japan. It provides the opportunity for devising an integrated cross-curricular project for schools combining drama, dance, music, literature, language, art (ukiyo-e, calligraphy, costume), history, IT, religion, and geography. From this base it is possible to link to a wider view of the Japanese cultural heritage.
Aim
To initiate the first in a series of nation-wide cross-arts projects, which introduce a practical experience of core Japanese art forms in preparation for the UK based Japan Festival in 2001. The initial project, The Kabuki Story, will embrace music, dance, drama and costume, and will take place in schools in London, Manchester, Edinburgh. It will be supervised by the London Symphony Orchestra, with the initial collaboration of two other major national arts organisations - British Museum, Scottish Chamber Orchestra
General Background
In 1991 the first major Japanese festival was held in the UK. It did much to introduce the British public to an enigmatic culture that influences the world profoundly. The Japanese Embassy plans to hold a second festival in 2001 which will further extend the knowledge and celebrate the diversity of Japanese culture building upon the foundations set in 1991. The emphasis for this nationwide festival will be to enable people at a local level to experience the variety and richness of the Japanese culture. Although initiative for the festival originates from the Japanese Embassy, it will involve considerable participation from all Japanese cultural support organisations including the Japan Festival Education Trust (JFET), the Japan Foundation and the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation.
Education Activities linked to the Japan Festival 2001
In the years leading up to the Festival in 2001, we propose to set up a nation-wide major cross-arts education initiative which will:- help school pupils to gain a practical understanding of Japanese culture in preparation for the 2001 Japan Festival
- involve local communities in Japanese related projects
- provide a lasting and effective legacy following the Festival
- stimulate contact between Japanese and British students
- promote an environment for the interchange of ideas between Japanese and British arts organisations
The provisional schedule for this major initiative is as follows
1998/1999
- Introduce The Kabuki Story as a pilot schools project in London and Scotland
- Use the results of the project as a basis for planning and support for further projects (JFET publishes an information pack which would form the basis of the development of more detailed information packs, teacher/project leader planning packs, and Website support)
2000
(declared the "Year of the Artist" by the Arts Council)- Implement the wider cross-arts education programme, including The Kabuki Story, using information and resources collated from the preceding year's pilot project
2001
- Main festival: practical educational workshop elements linked to each major event in the festival.
