Mayo Miwa 三輪万葉
Born in Hagi, Japan, instructed in art since childhood, I began my study of Noh at the age of 14. Trained under Sekine Shoroku of the Kanze School, a leading Noh actor in Japan, where I graduated from the Tokyo University of Arts as a Noh Major.
Since moving to New York in 2004, I have been collaborating with artists from different media such as Ryuichi Sakamoto, Alice Shields, Kenji Kojima, and Miho Hatori to develop the art of Noh in contemporary forms and to explore the physicality of traditional Noh theater.
As The Vice President of Noh Society, a 501©3 organization which promotes Japanese traditional performance arts such as Noh, Kyogen, and Bunraku, I have been facilitating educational programs with actors from Japan at educational institutes in America and Japan. http://nohsociety.org
Beyond my interest of introducing and educating Noh theater and Japanese culture to the public, I am also interested in how Noh can evolve in the contemporary world. I see Noh not only as a traditional Japanese art form to preserve for generations but also a unique physicality of training and aesthetic means to rejuvenate people’s mind and body in the contemporary world.