TIU theater is an emerging theater-it is located at Mile Long Compound, Amorsolo Corner Dela Rosa St. Makati City.
As an art haven that caters to a number of art collaborations, the theater provides a number of free shows that is open to the public.
Last July 28, 2015 I was fortunate enough to get invited to watch the show entitled Art Fitness: Bicore: Fitnessx Paintingx Music.
The show featured 6 of Japanese International artists:
* Erika Yamaguchi
Erika is a sports trainer and the founder of Bicore, an art fitness technique that incorporates several elements of art while exercising Yoga and other breathing techniques.
Bicore is a new yoga style that is gaining popularity in Tokyo, Japan.
This exercise embodies the element of Zen, respecting the consistency among body, breath and the mind.
Erika Yamaguchi has already coached more than 200 instructors of BICORE in Japan.
She has also been training in other fields like sports athletes, celebrities, yoga lovers and more.
Kanako Hara
She plays her original songs, with a mix of classic, jazz and pop.
Most of her works are used as sound effects in anime and application sound effects and she has already held numerous concerts in Japan.
Yu Miyoshi- Koto Player
It is a polished striated kiriwood, and is topped with complex fretwork of strings and bridges, that he plucks and skillfully plays with this three fingers together with the metal plectra.
He moved to Manila last 2013 and now uses some of his time in giving recitals and introducing Japanese Koto music.
He has already collaborated with a number of Filipino artists and musicians.
Gazan Watanabe
He is a professional Shakuhachi player, the instrument Shakuhachhi is a traditional end blown flute.
This type of instrument is made from the root end, of a bamboo culm and is considered as versatile instrument.
Gazan Watanabe can produce different types of pitch and can play a wide reportoire of original Zen music.
This instrument can be paired up with a number of modern musical pieces.
He first became passionate
about music at the age of 12, and found inspiration in The Beatles.
The Beatles music motivated him to keep the music of Japan alive.
He trained under Sanzan Sawai in 1973, and furthered his studies in music together with Hozan Yamamoto.
Kota Yoshida
A guitarist and song writer also graced the stage of TIU theater. He started playing when he was young and joined a rock band in Japan.
He records music, and was self taught at recording, after that he became a booking manager in Tokyo, and now produces his own music.
Atsuko Yamagata
She has had several group and solo exhibits in a number of galleries and museums in the Philippines.
She is active in bridging the art between the Philippines and Japan using various art activities.
Atsuko already had a solo show at SM Baliwag, Bulacan province in 2015.
She is also a live performance painter.
( Description of artists in the blog came from TIU theater pamphlets)
Thoughts on the show:
The Art Fitness Bicore 2 was a breath of fresh air, I have not witnessed this kind of collaborative work in my own hometown Baguio City.
I have mingled with several artists over the course of time and must say that this art event was able to present a new form.
The performance was bold and free, and allowed the mixing of different forms of art that I never thought could exist together.
Erika Yamaguchi was able to capture the attention of the audience, she had an exquisite form and style while Atsuko Yamagata successfully translated the energy inside the theater during that time.
The performance was alive, and made fresh by the music provided by Kanako Hara, Yu Miyoshi, Gazan Watanabe and Kota Yoshida.
I especially loved the ending part where they played a tagalog composition entitled " Ikaw" that was created by Filipino composer Louie Ocampo.
Definitely looking forward to joining the Art Fitness 3, it would definitely be a new experience.
