the Dance of the Sun

Choreographer Ami Skånberg Dahlstedt takes us on a voyage to Japan where dance has a long and significant history. The dance has its roots in a mythological story, in which the Sun Goddess gets angry and hides in a rock cave. The world plunges into darkness and cold. However, the Godess of laughter lurs her out with some energetic and crazy dancing and finally the light and warmth returns. The story is the basis for both classical and contemporary dance and theater; Noh, Kabuki, Nihon Buyo and Butoh. The film also invites us to meet Nishikawa Senrei, a very special profile in Kyoto. We will see parts of Ami´s lesson in traditional Japanese dance and also meet contemporary performers in Kyoto, the former capital of Japan.

Directed, written, narrated by Ami Skånberg DahlstedtDirected, photographed by Folke JohanssonEdited by
Folke Johansson Ami Skånberg Dahlstedt Rasmus Ohlander, sfkMusic by
Palle Dahlstedt, Ensemble Nipponia, Kumiko NonakaCast:
Ami Skånberg Dahlstedt
Nishikawa Senrei sensei
the Godess Ame no Uzume: performed by Frauke
Rosa Yuki
Bruno the Bad Boy
Kumiko Nonaka
Peter Golightly
Jonah Salz
Heidi S Durning
Mio Durning

Also featuring:
Students at Senreinokai
Ryoko Oishi, Kaori Iwasaki, Motoi Mahiro, Aoi Nakai, Atsushi Heki
and Chizuko Takizawa

Performers at Urban Guild:
Butoh dancers: Fukurozaka Yasuo and Yamaguchi Keiko
Musicians: Jerry Gordon, Saikou Miyajima

Students at Kanze Noh School
Two maiko san of Pontocho geisha district
Performers at Mibudera Temple in Kyoto
Performers in Yosakoi Odori, Kochi
Two miko at Yoshida Shrine, Kyoto
Kagura performance at Fushimi Inari Shrine
Shouka, bellydancer at Kamigamo Shrine

Additional photo:
Anders Bryngel, Ami Skånberg Dahlstedt, Daisuke Suzuki

Costume/Kostym:
Gerd Karlsson, Fumiko Nagai

Translation:
Joanna Etherton, Peter Golightly, Ami Skånberg Dahlstedt, Taeko Svensson, Mori Takewaka

THANKYOU

Kyoto Art Center, Senreinokai, Stipendiestiftelsen för studier av japanskt samhällsliv/The Scholarship Foundation for Studies of Japanese Society,
Konstnärsnämnden/the Swedish Arts Grants Commitee, Takae Hoshino, Mizuho Fujita, Mayumi Yamamoto, Daitoku-ji, Chandra Durning, Ulrika Brattberg, Emiko Ota,
Christian Gyllensten, Narihito Terauchi,Inger Delholm, the British Museum, Högskolan för Scen och Musik.

Distribution
Nicolas Debot, Njutafilms

Copyright: Studio BuJi and Levande Bilder