Noh Actor Performs, Teaches at Duncan Dance Studio

Masayuki Namiyoshi is a shite ("shtay"), a principal actor with the Hosho School of Noh, one of five centuries-old schools of Japan's extraordinary, poetic classical tragic theater. Sparely staged--though using sumptuous costumes and carved masks for some roles--Noh relies on the physical and auditory techniques of its performers to convey a hypnotic, sometimes-unearthly sense of sublime beauty and internal truth. Expressing the stories from myth, legend and medieval Japanese history, Noh performances usually employ three drummers (tsusumi and taiko) and a nohkan (transversal flute) player, a chorus of chanting actors and two or more actors, trained since early youth in movement techniques originally from dance and martial arts that rival in their rigor and complexity any other classical performance form, including ballet.

It's rare for Noh shites to perform and teach overseas. Namiyoshi is coming to San Francisco to do both. On Saturday, May 6, he'll teach a workshop (2-5 p. m.) in utai, the choral chanting or singing of poetry that accompanies both Noh plays and performances of shimai, the dances from Noh performed apart from the play itself. The Hosho School is especially acclaimed for its style of utai, which combines forcefulness and lyrical beauty.

On Sunday, May 7, Namiyoshi will teach a second utai workshop (11 a. m.-2 p. m.), then at 4 p. m. perform with Mary Sano, native of Japan, but for the past decade and more, a leading exponent of the dance of San Francisco's Isadora Duncan. Mary's performance last March with master tsusumi drummer Shinosuke Okura, patterned after a Noh play, was outstanding; this first onstage meeting with Namiyoshi promises to be exciting and fascinating.

All events will be at the Mary Sano Studio of Duncan Dance, 245 Fifth St. (between Howard & Folsom) in downtown San Francisco. Performance: $15. Workshops: $30 (or $50 for both). Space is limited--RSVP to Toby Dubes, (415) 819-9882
--info at: piazzatrading.com