On April 12, 2019, Sapporo Upopo Hozonkai, a traditional Ainu performance group recognized by UNESCO as carrying on “intangible heritage,” visited NYU Shanghai for a series of participatory dance, voice, and instrumental performances. NYU Shanghai’s Interactive Media Arts students are working with Assistant Arts Professor Ann Chen and Global Perspectives on Society teaching fellow Roslynn Ang to create interactive digital media platforms that will help the group from Hokkaido, Japan pass on indigenous Ainu cultural heritage to the world. Sapporo Upopo Hozonkai performers and NYU Shanghai students pair off for a welcome dance. Hayasaka Yuka plays a mukkuri, a bamboo jaw harp of the Ainu people. The Mukkuri's reed is attached to a string which is pulled sideward, away from the player's head to produce vibrations. Hayasaka is a grandmother who is passing down Ainu traditions, songs, and dances to her daughter and granddaughter. Hayasaka Yuni plays two pieces on the tonkori, a five-string plucked instrument which nearly disappeared in the 1970s, but has been revived with increased interest in and efforts on behalf of Ainu heritage. (From left) Hayasaka Yuka, Kagaya Kyoko, Hayasaka Yuni, and Fujioka Chiyomi sing a series of six upopo, a type of polyrhythmic Ainu chant used for ritualistic purposes. The melodies represent elements of nature such as wind, sun, and sea. Saron-rimse is a dance in which performers play cranes--the gods of the wetlands of Hokkaido. The older dancers represent adult cranes teaching their young how to dance. Yoshida Yasunori performs the ku-rimse (bow dance), which tells the story of a hunter who is so caught up by the beauty of a bird in the sky that he forgets to shoot it. In the Futtarechui (the black-haired dance), the vigorous movement of the dancers and their waving hair represent the movement of willow trees in the wind. NYU Shanghai students join in to perform the Chak peeyak (swallow dance) that was taught to them in a morning workshop on April 12. Hayasaka Yuka presents a hand-embroidered snowflake made with traditional Ainu textile patterns to Professor Chen. Share: Facebook Twitter Weibo All Years202420232022202120202019201820172016201520142013 Apply Club Fest & Involvement FairFeb 2 2015 NYU Alumni Executive Mentor Program LaunchJan 30 2015 DSS Winter Service Trip to CambodiaJan 27 2015 Spring 2015 Welcome Back MixerJan 27 2015 2015 CBN Shanghai Pudong New Year ForumJan 25 2015 DBS Digital Express Challenge 2015Jan 24 2015 New York and Abu Dhabi Students Take J-Term Course in ShanghaiJan 21 2015 IMA End of Semester ShowDec 15 2014 "Image Ination" ExhibitDec 11 2014 An Evening with Lang LangDec 9 2014 Sila Connection Shanghai 2014Dec 8 2014 Amethyst 2014Dec 5 2014 NYU Shanghai Volatility Institute Day with Nobel Laureate Professor Robert EngleNov 29 2014 Thanksgiving Break Hangzhou TripNov 29 2014 Fall 2014 Poetry NightNov 25 2014 Pagination « First First page ‹ Previous Previous page … 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 … Next › Next page Last » Last page
