Masterclass with Toshinori Hamada in Patricia Beaman's Dance History Class
Toshinori Hamada, a Japanese dance and theatre specialist, was schooled in a Buddhist monastery in Japan. He studied and performed as a Kabuki actor, and then in Noh Theatre in Tokyo under the direction of Master Junosuke Watanabe. He holds a black belt in Kyokushin Karate. He has written, directed, and produced several award winning independent films including Dream on Flatbed and My Master. As a guest artist and teacher he has performed his unique East/West fusion aesthetic throughout the United States and internationally. He is a principal dancer and co-choreographer with the BALAM Dance Theatre, where he originated the role of Rahwana, the demon king in the Ramayana, and choreographed Sunda Upasunda, inspired by the Mahabharata, which toured throughout Bali with the Semara Ratih gamelan. Currently, he is work-shopping his original music-drama, Wind Chime, inspired by a heroic story from the 2011 tsunami disaster and Fukushima Daichi nuclear plant meltdown.
Noh Theater is often based on tales of traditional literature with supernatural characters. It often integrates masks, costumes, and various props into the performance space. It requires highly trained actors and musicians and is the oldest major theater art that is still regularly performed today.
