APSU to host evening of traditional Japanese dance on Oct. 5
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. 鈥 On a warm summer evening, Dr. David Rands, Austin Peay State University associate professor of history, put on a dress shirt and tie and headed to the cultural and political center of Tokyo. The Supreme Court of Japan stood to his south, and only a few blocks away, surrounded by a moat, was the famed Imperial Palace.
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. 鈥 On a warm summer evening, Dr. David Rands, Austin Peay State University associate professor of history, put on a dress shirt and tie and headed to the cultural and political center of Tokyo. The Supreme Court of Japan stood to his south, and only a few blocks away, surrounded by a moat, was the famed Imperial Palace.
That night, the APSU professor followed some of that country鈥檚 elite into the National Theatre of Japan鈥攁n imposing building designed in the Japanese Azekurazukuri architectural style鈥攖o watch a performance by members of Global Culture Nasu, one of the major schools of traditional dance in Japan. The dancers, with white painted faces and multilayered kimonos, moved gracefully to the sound of ancient Japanese instruments.
鈥淲hen you first see it, you鈥檙e just blown away by the whole thing,鈥 Rands said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 spectacle. But then you realize that this is so deliberate. You start to understand all the intricacies of it.鈥
This fall, the famed troupe is making a special trip to Tennessee, and at 7 p.m. on Oct. 5, Global Culture Nasu will visit APSU鈥檚 Trahern Theater for its only public performance on an American college campus. The event is free and open to the public.
鈥淭hey have taken it upon themselves to come share their dance in Tennessee because they feel it鈥檚 important for people to see the cultural side of Japan, in addition to the business side, 鈥淩ands, who also coordinates APSU鈥檚 Asian Studies Program, said. 鈥淭his is not something you can see anywhere else in America.鈥
Global Culture Nasu鈥檚 visit to campus is part of collaboration between APSU鈥檚 Department of History and Philosophy and APSU鈥檚 Department of Theatre and Dance. On the morning of Oct. 5, the internationally renowned group will meet with students in a class taught by Margaret Rennerfeldt, APSU associate professor of dance. In that class, the dancers will instruct APSU students in the traditional art form, with the intent of having the students join the troupe on stage later that evening.
At 7 p.m., the concert will begin with a brief introduction to the dance style, including a tutorial on what some of the delicate movements represent.
鈥淚 would greatly encourage anyone who has never been to the performance to go,鈥 APSU student Cody Shapiro said. He attended a performance last year hosted by the Japanese Consulate in Nashville. 鈥淚t's a good way to experience authentic Japanese culture in person.鈥
For more information on the performance, contact Rands at randsd@apsu.edu.
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