Atsumori (敦盛): Otoko-Mai (男舞)

Video of the otoko-mai from the takigi noh performance of “Atsumori,” Bloomsburg Town Park August 3, 2012. Performed as part of the Noh Training Project under the auspices of the Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble (and the cooperation of Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania and the Bloomsburg Town Park Improvement Association.)

In this scene the spirit of Taira no Atsumori is reliving the night before the battle of Ichi-no-tani, when his father gathered the Heike troops together for a final night of music and dance. The monk Renshō in the play remarks that the Minamoto troops could hear the music in their camp. The otoko-mai (literally “male dance”) performed in Atsumori is singular to the Kita school, and is played more slowly than might be typical in other plays. Other schools use chu-no-mai in this portion of the play.

FEATURED THEATRE NOHGAKU COMPANY MEMBERS:

Taira no Atsumori: Naoko Meashiba
Otsuzumi: James Ferner
Kotsuzumi: Joyce S. Lim
Nohkan: David Surtasky
Jiuatai: Men’s Chorus (NTP participants and TN members)

About Theatre Nohgaku

Noh, one of the oldest continuing stage arts, combines highly stylized dance, chant, music, mask and costume with intense inner concentration and physical discipline, creating a uniquely powerful theatrical experience. Theatre Nohgaku’s mission is to share noh’s beauty and power with English speaking audiences and performers. We have found that this traditional form retains its dramatic effectiveness in languages other than Japanese. We believe noh techniques hold a powerful means of expression in the context of contemporary English language theatre.

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