framewalk Japan

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KABAWIL, Petra Kron and Ade Bantu organised and accomplished Framewalk – the cross-cultural workshop week in collaboration with Dance Box, Kobe and Kobe University. German and Japanese art instructors and artists worked during the Golden Week with the participating students on the topic of Virtual Identity. All over the World Youth is searching for their personal identity, searching for directions and at the same time trying to be different from an established adult’s world. Nowadays however the period for youth is no longer fixed, the time span of youth starts with 13 and is stretched arbitrarily to sometimes 40! At the same time limitations between the actual, real world and the surreal, virtual world dissolve. Framewalk wanted to experience playfully, through the performing arts, the everyday use of the world wide web, it’s prospects and it’s risks. A Cross-cultural aspect: Japanese and German society do have a varying understanding and concept on individuality and identity. The Framewalk workshop week started with the

intense and very important process among the artists/instructors settling an understanding and finding a consensus on the topic of Virtual Identity. Not till then the workshops commenced.

Future: Besides the important Framewalk topic of Water, Framewalk will focus in the future on the topic of Waste. Waste as in unwanted and unusable materials of society. Waste as being a valuable resource. Waste prevention. Waste being directly linked to human development, both technically and socially. Framewalk will highlight Waste issues, as another major topic for our worlds future. Framewalk enables students, artists and all participants to contribute to the idea of exchange, encounter and communication across borders. Framewalk workshops held in Ghana, Germany, Japan and Turkey with their incredible results continue to motivate and ask for continuation. Future Framewalk Workshops are being opted for in Kongo, Israel/Palestine, Nigeria, South Africa, Brasil, Suriname and the USA.

Conclusion Every Framewalk is like entering a new world, a new frame. We never know what we will come upon, who we will come across and which challenges we will have to face? Will the students relate to each other, will the instructors cope, will the circumstances be sufficient to Framewalks basic, sometimes very basic needs? The most important skills demanded by all Framewalkers are flexibility, resilience and patience. Will we manage? Every Framewalk is about surrendering and trusting. And so far it’s been worth a cillion times to be confronted over and over again with all the imponderabilities of every Framewalk. The results are speaking for themselves. We always made the frames walking. We believe in a general Framewalk magic. (Petra Kron) Framewalk is connecting people! The Weblog www.framewalk.de is online from the very beginning. Since 2010 there is a linked Facebook-page open for all to join.




Internet is redefining identity. Aliases, manfufactured or manipulated identities are accessible to everybody. Virtual Identity is the manifestation of one’s self in the virtual world. Virtual worlds and social networks have created playgrounds for interpersonal interaction. Gender, nationality, names, and appearances are all flexible and replaceable and require no relationship to the real world. Phantasy as well as transcultural communication can be encouraged and inspired by moving around in cyberspace. Why not be a superhero once? We want to playfully experience through the performing arts, the everyday use of the the world wide web.




Wednesday, April 28th. Petra Kron and Katja Stuke arriving. First meeting: Iku Otani, Aya, Fumi Yokobori, Tetsuya Goto. Thursday, April 29th. 11:00 Nada Kumin Hall; Preview. Meeting: Mitsukuni Saito. 14:00 Radiostation. Interview with P. Kron, Otani San, K. Stuke. Friday, April 30th. 11:00 Artists and staff/volunteers meeting at DanceboxStudio. 19:00 Artists and students arriving at Osaka Itami Airport. Transfer to Dancebox-Studio. First shower in Public Bath. Saturday, May 1rst. 09:00 First meeting of all german and japanese students & artists at Nada Kumin Hall. Introduction, presents and discussion of the topic: Virtual Identity. First instructors Meeting. Taking portraits of all participants for the blog. Every day: Answers for the Question of the Day for the Blog. 11:00 Division into 3 groups. Beginning of Workshops Rotational system. 11:30 Workshop 1 13.00 Lunch. Bento Boxes. 14:00 Workshop 2 15:30 Break. 16:00 Workshop 3 18:00 Closing. Getting to know Sannomiya, Shin-Nagata and Tetsujin.

Sunday, May 2nd. 09:00 Meeting, again at Nada Kumin Hall 09:30 Workshop 1 11:30 Break 12:30 Workshop 2 14:00 – 15:00 Lunch Break, Interview ‚Kobe Newspape’r 15:30 Workshop 3 17:30 Showing of Daily Results 18:30 Closing. Dinner. German and Japanese Students go out together. Monday, May 3rd. 09:00 Meeting at the Art Theatre Dancebox, Shin Nagata. 09:30 Workshop 1 11:30 Break 12:30 Workshop 2 14:00 Lunch Break, Sushi; Kobe Newspaper Reporter & Kaoru Teraura (Osaka Prefecture) visit 15:30 Workshop 3 17:30 Showing of Daily Results. 18:30 Closing. Dinner: Ramen in Sannomiya. Tueday, May 4th. 09:00 Meeting at the Art Theatre Dancebox. 10:00 Amalgamation of the workshop-results for the Final Presentation. 13:00 Lunch Break 14:30 Rehersal for the Final Presentation. Preparing costumes and stage. 16:00 Renat Saffiulin visits the Deutsche Schule/European School, Kobe 19:00 Closing. Dinner at Okonomiyaki Place.

Wedesday, May 5th. 09:00 Meeting at the Art Theatre Dancebox. 10:00 Final Run Through 11:00 Getting together, last Corrections. 13:00 Lunch Break 14:30 Open the Doors 15:00 Final Presenation 17:00 Meeting again on Stage. Exchanging Presents. 18:00 Party at Dancebox. Thursday, May 6th. 09:00 Meeting at Deutsche Schule/European School Kobe 10:00 Workshops by Students and Teachers for the Children. 13:00 Lunch 13:30 Leaving for Kyoto. 15:00 Sightseeing, Temples, Souvenirs. 23:00 Back in Shin-Nagata. Friday, May 7th. 04:14 Students, Othello and Renat: off to airport. Tueday, May 11th. 04:14 Petra, Ade, Bastian, Stefan, Katja off to airport after more experience, meetings and The Art of Chatting.


What is important if you want to have a sincere conversation between two strangers? 見知らぬ2人が初めてであった時、こま

やかなコミュニケーションをとるために欠かせないことは何だと 思いますか?

The Name, the Age, Hobbies, Things he/she likes to do. (Kassia) Eye Contact ジェスチャーGesture Smile (Ariki Hiraoka) To know the others name, age, the hometown & hobbies. (Juriel) It’s important to look in the eyes while you are speaking and listen (Alex) Smile and Big Smile and 礼儀 Höflichkeit (Haruka) Get to know the name, the place, where he/she lives, favourite activities, food etc. the job or school. Find a matching topic to talk about. Form a band btween those two. (Louis) Greeting is very important. And smile. (Yuko Takano) Look each other in the eyes. Speak clearly. Speak with a smile. (Kida) Introduce yourself properly. (Ryo Yamamoto) Don’t lie. Be careful with the word you use. To be interested in talking and listening. Better with a smile but without (Yasuyo) Understanding the other and answering the questions. (Saki Matsuura) Get to know each other and exchange. Kindness. Get to know the language. (Morena) Beeing friendly and nice. Treat the other with Respect. (Erik) Chatting about the subject of which we can know each other. (Fujii Akane) Trust each other. Trust & Fun. (Gökan) Be open and friendly. (Sonja) Understand each other and and don’t feign. Be friendly and speak openly. (David) Identity. Let myself know to strangers. Beeing not afraid of differences between myself and strangers. (Ryo) Say you opinion, be open. Be self confindent. Don’t change your personality. Don’t fake. (Anthony)


Ma: interval in space and time We worked on the concept of Ma.

It took us some time to understand Ma’s meaning and significance in Japanese fine and performing arts.

Ma means an interval in time or space, as well as the combination and the

integration of space and time into artistic works and processes.

Ma is a concept that can even be the keyword practicing or commenting on traditional Japanes art.

Ma is closely connected to rhythm and breathing, originating from music and than applied to other fields of art.

In theatre, it is realized by a stillness inserted in spoken lines or between actions to leave suggestiveness.

In music, Ma is realized in different ways, according to the performer’s

interpretation. In painting, the effect of empty space on the whole is important.

The void containing nothing considerably affects

the movement and expression of the whole.




If you where a sound, what would it be? もしあなたが 「音」 なら どんな音にありたいですか。 The sound of running feet on pebbles. (Kasja) The crackling sound of a bag of potato chips. (Sonja) The sound of lissom air moving through flowers and trees. (Sissi) A cat sliding down a wall, holding on to it, scratching the surface with nails. (Morena) A whistle, because it has control. (Alex) The sound of pebbles moving and bouncing at the shore. (Jassin) The sound of water, because it varies from a relaxing wooshing sound to a wild splashing, like my personality. (Louis) The gentle sound of a grand piano. (Erik) The crackle of dried leaves, if you step on (Sven) A waterfall, the sound of it relaxes me (David) The humming of a bee. (Juriel) The light, mellow, but dim tone of a jazz trumpet. (Gökhan) A sound that goes directly into the heart, sometimes cold, sometimes warm. A sound that guides and heals people. (Yasuyo) A relaxing sound, like the flow of a river or like a piano. (Saki) A clear tone of the violin. (Momoko) Silence – Japanese say shi___n ( a no sound describing the silence) (Yuko) A very loud and low sound, like an earthquake, a sound that can quake everything (Ryo) The sound of a cat’s footsteps (Mio) A sparkling, twinkling, shining sound, like the reflections in a glass ball, bouncing high and falling down (Airi) Water in the sea, heavy, arythmical, low with a big volume. (Saori) The sound of the voices of Gods in the earth. (Marina) Haaaaiii. (Japanese for Yes) (Haruka) The sound of [...] a bucket falling and hitting the ground (Ryo Y) The sound of silent rivers. (Mayu) A noisy, extreme sound, like cars. (Akane)



Petra Kron works as a cultural anthropologist and cultural pedagogue managing various productions and projects. She develops concepts and realises visions in the performing and fine arts, emphasizing on cross cultural exchange. For KABAWIL she developped the concept of relation oriented cultural work and is directing most of KABAWIL’s productions. She’s got a Ph.D. (ABD) in Cultural Anthropology and a state board exam in Fine Arts and English. Adé Bantu, is an Afropean musician who was born and ra ised in Lagos, Nigeria and Cologne, Germany. His music is an eclectic fusion of the rich cultural heritage of the Yorubas and the hybrid sounds of the African diaspora. He is the founder of the AfroGerman musical collective and NGO Brothers Keepers and an active advocate against racism in Germany. Bantu’s unique Sound earned him and his band the prestigious Pan African Kora Award in 2005. He has developed and executed projects in the performing arts such as Framewalk and Triangulum to help connect African and European artists.

From 1973 to 1980 Iku Otani worked as a Butoh dancer. In 1996 he founded DANCE BOX and has produced over 30 cross genre Contemporary Dance workshops and performances a year. From 2001–10 he produced the Asia Contemporary Dance Festival. In 2002 the DANCE BOX became a Non Profit Organization and has established the Art Theater dB within the Festival Gate (Osaka). Since 2009 ArtTheater dB is located in Kobe. He is also an Professor at the Kinki University International Center For Human Sciences and Kobe University.


Bastian Sierich studied acting, singing and dancing at Stage School Hamburg. He was member of the Junges Schauspielhaus Düsseldorfemsemble. He participated in about 12 different productions. In 2008 he was nominated for the Award for Performing Arts of the city of Düsseldorf. He works for different dubbing companies and participated in a dance theatre production for Tanzhaus NRW. Bastian Sierich also works as teacher for acting, voice and body work / stage combat. In 1993 Worry Kinoshita (Akihiro Kinoshita) started his own company Gekidan Sekai Ichidan (now: Sunday). He represents and writes and produces all the plays of the company. He also produces a nonverbal performance group called The Original Tempo which is invited by international festivals.

Yosuke Fujita is a singer and musician who basically plays guitar but also uses different kind of objects as musical instruments. He was influenced by Classic, Jazz, Minimal and tribal music. Until now he released 2 albums with ‚Flavour of Sound’. Yukihide Hirayabashi is an actor & musician. He plays saxophone, uklele and flute. He‘s member of Sunday & Original Tempo. Othello Johns works as free lance choreographer, dancer and pedagogue. He worked as a soloist for the companies of Milton Myers, Rod Rodgers, Isadora Duncan, Erick Hawkins and Tanzatelier Wien. He studied Dance and Choreography in New York at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance and at the Erick Hawkins School. Noriko Seki studied classical ballet and was member of the H. Art Chaos (Japanese Contemporary Dance Company). She works as a solo dance but also collaborates with other genres including art, music and fight choreography. She received several awards including ‚the Japan Dance Critics’ Award’ and ‚the Hyogo Prefecture Art Encouragement Prize’.

Koh Yoshida studied music at Berkley College of Music in Boston. He now is representative of the gallery 月夜と少 年 in Osaka. He assists the music division of the workshops.


Aya has established the Dance Box in 1996 and works as the general secretary. She also is a dancer and member of the Butoh Company ‚Sennichimae Blue Sky Dance Club’ founded in 2002. Fumi Yokobori is program director of Dance Box. She has been focusing on creating a performing arts network in the Asia region and producing international dance programs.

Tetsuya Goto is a Japanese designer. His studio Out Of Office and the alternative space OOO is based in Osaka. He is also publisher and creative director of the Osaka English art guide FLAG. Katja Stuke works as artist and freelance designer in Düsseldorf. Together with Oliver Sieber she stayed in Osaka in 2006 (ART-Ex), publishes the Böhm/ Kobayashi Publishing Project and curates the annual Antifoto. She exhibits internationally and takes care of all KABAWIL documentations and blogs. Stephan Fritsch works as a videojournalist in Düsseldorf. With his companie Die Bildversorger he produces documentaries, imagefilms, feature films and video clips. His documentary work focusses on people, performing arts and motorcycles. Since many years he is documenting the work of KABAWIL.


The German NGO KABAWIL was founded in 2003. KABAWIL’s work is based on their concept of relation oriented cultural work for children and teens. It brings people from different backgrounds (social status, education and nationalities) together. Besides the professional training the groups also learn how to communicate, how to solve conflicts, to take responsibilities for themselves and others, some of them start to develop a new perspective for their life. Performing is one of the concepts milestones, it brings public apperception, approval and acceptance. KABAWIL’s work always emphasises on the actual and future living environments of the participants, based upon biography works with the various groups. KABAWIL’s team consists of professional actors and educators with different cultural backgrounds. KABAWIL’s work per annum involves about 300 adolescents and can be devided into the following project categories: A. Working with teens without a school leaving certificate and without perspective for their future (Move it). 2008: Sardetta and Erdchan / 2009: Webdance. Wir sind on. / 2010: Concrete Jungle B. Annual dance theatre production with 25 teens of various backgrounds and professional actors based on a sociopolitical relevant topic developped with the group and if funded, performances abroad, like cultural exchange programms – Wer hat Angst vorm Schwarzen Mann? – Leyla & Madschnun – Net_Sein. C. Dance/Rap/Spoken Word projects in continuation with young men in juvenile prison D. Cross generations projects – dance theatre Geht doch and Gezeitencafe E. Gender related projects, like Fanni & Josefine and Don Quichotte F. HipHop goes Classic: Schostakowitsch – Puppentänze and Mussorgski – Bilder einer Ausstellung in collaboration with Tonhalle Düsseldorf G. Exchange programms with collaborations in Ghana, Turkey, Japan and the Netherlands KABAWIL has twice been awarded the North Rhine Westphalian Youth Cultural Prize for Hungryfeet (2004) and Wer hat Angst vorm Schwarzen Mann? (2008). In 2009 KABAWIL was nominated as the German candidate for Best Practice Prize Europe.


What is the most beautiful – 風景fuukei – scenery, as in ladscape and in combination with recollecting a personal memory, of your past? あなたの記憶の中でもっとも美しい風景はなんですか?

[Fuukei – a place connected to a personal memory in your past] Mein schönstest fuukei was, when I was 8 years old and we went to the airport to fly with my mother and sister to Germany from Kenya. (Eric) My grandfather coming from Angola to Europe for the first time visiting us, him sitting in our living room. (Morena) To watch my mothers eyes burst into a shine, getting the news of having her first grandchild. (Sissi) Having been a college student, our last dance on stage in front of a large audience, standing on the new dance floor, the stage light shining on me, standing within my friends. I felt happy,comfortable and excited. (Saori) Once, all didn’t go well. I went outside and watched a mountain. I felt my littleness compared to the plain nature’s beauty and cried. (Marina) I love the evening sun sinking in the sea. I watched it at Junior High at the foot of a mountain. (Mio) The star night I saw in a camp, when I was in 8th grade. I wanted to sleep, because I was so tired, but watching the stars, my fatigue flew away. It was so impressive. (Chihiro) The red sun rising in the morning between the mountains. (Ryo Y) The scenery of 4 seasons. All are beautiful, but I remember the scenery I saw when I was a child, which was a tree-lined street full of the leaves of gingko. I felt like I was in a painting. (Yasuo) Having been eleven years old I sneeked out of the house with my guitar and my cousins very early in the morning hiking for hours through woodland. We wanted to reenact Lord of the Rings. (Sven)


The garden in front of our house, where my older sister and myself spent many happy hours. We found a lost bird and we organised a festival to collect money for homeless pets. (Jassin) The wall seperating our garden from a public park. My brother and I were always standing in front of it imagining what would there be behind. In the daytime it was a hidden paradise, at night it was an place of horror. (Alexandra) My favourite memory was: when I was a child and we went to to zoo in Cologne for the first time with a friend of my mum. It was a sunny, blue sky, a good summer day. There were monkeys, giraffes, elephans which lived in the zoo without cages. I liked it very much. (Anthony) Since my parents separated they really don’t have anything to do with each other. But one day we where sitting together in our old apartment watching the ‚European Song Contest’ and laught a lot. That was a really nice moment for me. (Kassja) The night view seen from the top of the mountain. It is interesting if lights like car light are moving. (Saki) My favourite scene was the sunrise from Mt. Daisen. When the sky turned red,the sun appeard shining brightly. Everything became red: buidlings, farms, people and so on. (Ryo Tanioka) When I was in Paris for the first time for Juste Debout. Always when I am thinking about Juste Debout it feels as if I am there. (Juriel) When I see small kids dancing, I remember myself dancing like them.



I think a typical german dance everywhere and is very positive. An typical japanese is very shy and works so hard. (Airi) I think typical german has a big heart. They don’t care about little things. And the typical Japanese is very shy when they are in public. They are very deligent and care too much about little things. (Ryo Tanioka) Typical japanese: sushi, friendly big colourful night cities, small people, have to take off shoes, Tatami/Futon/ sliding doors; they way of living, quiet, on time, a special fashion-style, sweet food. Typical german: potatoes, beer, bavaria. (Anthony) Typical german: touchy boys; typical japanese: shy boys. (Jassin) Typical japanese: beeing on time, they style of living: futon, sliding doors, sushi, take off shoes. (Kassia) For me typical german is really good baked, golden potatoes and a good ‚Schnitzel’ (tonkatsu). To my point of view typical japanese is: shy people and smells of fish and noodles. What else? Sweet breakfast and totally colourful cities (noisy, colourfum and much electronic stuff). (Sissi)

Wabi Sabi: subtle taste, elegant simplicity

German: before I thought they are strict, tall, strong and they like beer and sausages. But now I don’t know anymore. Japanese: We apologize many times. (Mio)

Wabi and sabi are the highest aestetic values aimed at by traditional Japanese arts.

A typical german is less open than japanese people. The culture of germans and japanese is totally upsidedown – like directions on the streets. [...] (Gökhan)

The two values, wabi sabi, have common qualities such as a sense of quiet

Germans love music and poems. Japanese have ‚wa no kokoro’ (kind of harmony). (Momoko)

sadness at the bottom, encouragement of simplicity and rejection of gaudiness.

Germans [...] try something new as soon as they know it. Japanese are shy. It takes time for close realtionships. They cannot express ideas to a big audience. And they take too much care of others. (Saki)

Being quietly clear and calm.

In Japan girls are dressed very sex/feminin. In Germany girls are dressed casual and comfortable. (Alex)

The beauty that is one with nature, free from worldly

なドイツ人とは? また、典型的な日本人とは?

concerns and annoying human relations.

What do you consider typical German and/or what do you consider typical Japanese? あなたにとって典型的



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