Event Flyer

shooting for the flyer

then we walked in kimono around town...

The Performers (updated)

Thierry Alexandre (Butoh / Japanese contemporary dance).
Thierry uses Butoh -an avant-garde abstract dance form from Japan- to express the deepest and most misunderstood emotions in a physical form and creates compelling, deeply emotive and mesmerising performances taking the audience on unexpected journeys. More Information at www.thierryalexandre.com.

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(photo:Tom Medwell)
Nawashi Murakawa (Shibari / Japanese Rope Bondage)
Nawashi (`Master of the Rope`) is the doyen of London`s Japanese rope bondage scene. He has 18 years of worldwide experience and has travelled widely in Japan to further his understanding of the Japanese tradition.


Shamisen Awa Musume (Musician) Her stage name means 'daughter of the shamisen' which is a traditional three stringed Japanese instrument. Her music will accompany the night and she will also be the model for Nawashi Murakawa's performance.

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Francis Rushby (Ikebana / Japanese flower arranging).
Francis has arranged flowers for Madonna, Claridge’s and Dior, and has helped Japanese bonzai group 'bonsai kai' win silver gilt at the Chelsea flower show.


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Santiago Genochio (Shibari / rope bondage performer)
Chris Roaf (Shamisen player, oxford)

Noriko Onahara - Poetry

A fashion researcher presently associated with the V&A. In her native Japan she holds a lectureship in modern Japanese culture and fashion. She has published several volumes of poetry next to her academic work on street fashion.
http://www.fashion-j.com/blog/london/ (fashion essay)
http://philipcundall.com/noriko/ (poetry works)

Fabio Gygi - Aikido

An anthropologist specializing in contemporary Japan. He has been living in Japan on and off for four years and has been practicing Aikido for 18 years.

Miss Akimbo Moonchild

A London based performance artist and event organiser with a fascination with oriental culture. His alter ego Miss Akimbo explores modern and traditional imagery surrounding oriental figures such as geishas and concubines through a combination of costume and performance art.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/akimbo.moonchild?ref=profile

What to Expect

We believe that nourishment of the body has to be complemented with nourishment of the mind and that the originally musical format of a `soiree` is ideally suited to present a theme with variations. The evening, held at the Ping Pong branch in Appold street`s private upper floor, will progress through a four course dinner of dim sum interspersed with poetic performance, live flower arrangement, Japanese rope bondage, butoh dance, martial arts, short films and performance art accompanied by traditional Shamisen (Japanese three-stringed instrument). At the bar, a series of sake and plum wine based drinks will be served.

Constraint

Constraints are all around us: in the way we dress appropriately, in the way we behave towards others and in the way our surroundings constrain our actions. Most of those constraints we inflict upon ourselves in the name of normality and most often we are not aware that we are doing this. However, an encounter with a contrasting culture and its rituals can provide us with a new perspective on things we are already deeply familiar with. Contrary to the Western idea of a struggle between constraint and freedom, Japanese culture has embraced constraint as a means of development of the self. A night of constraint allows our guests to explore this concept in an intimate dinner party context. Through a series of performances inspired by various Japanese arts we want to make tangible what is normally invisible.