Performances in World Arts West Programs |
• Kyogen
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Disciplines |
• Kyogen
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 From the New Victory Theater on Broadway in New York City to
Sapporo, Japan, Brenda Wong Aoki has established a new genre as a contemporary
storyteller. A writer, performer, and recording artist, she has received
numerous grants, fellowships and commissions for her original work. Of Chinese,
Japanese, Spanish and Scottish descent, her stories blend myth, streetlore and
real life. These dramatic presentations synthesize Kyogen & Noh (Japanese
traditional theater), modern dance and live jazz.
Brenda Wong Aoki has deep roots in San Francisco. Her paternal
grandfather was a founder of Japantown in the 1890's, and her maternal
grandmother was vice president of the first Chinatown garment union in
the 1920's. Brenda recently returned from living in Tokyo as a Japan-US
Creative Artist Fellow 2007. She is married to Asian Jazz pioneer, Mark
Izu and with their son, Kai Kane, they continue to teach and perform
internationally. Brenda has broken barriers and established a new
artistic genre as a contemporary American writer and performer. Her work is a
synthesis of Japanese Noh and Kyogen theater, Commedia dell’arte, modern dance
and every day experience. She is acclaimed as one of America’s foremost solo
theater artists.
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