AIRMW's Sudden Impact Series presents a solo set by Kioto Aoki on taiko. Executive Director Tatsu Aoki brings together this series to facilitate catalystic events, providing a substratum for Chicago’s musical artists to explore and musically experiment. Co-presented by Asian Improv aRts Midwest and Arts + Public Life at the Green Line Performing Arts Center.
AIRMW’s Shubukai presents Revitalizing Tradition XIV with Fujima Shunojo, Fujima Yoshinojo and special guest Kay Kawaguchi to discuss the historical context of two traditional dances: “Ayame” (Iris)「あやめ」performed by Grandmaster Yoshinojo Fujima “Suisen Tanzen”(Narcissus)「水仙丹前」 performed by Grandmaster Shunojo Fujima co-presented by the Japan Arts Foundation
Asian Improv Records & Asian Improv aRts Midwest presents a triple solo album release event featuring three AIRMW artists: Kioto Aoki, Mai Sugimoto & Da Wei Wang. Livestream concert from Elastic Arts, Chicago March 20, 2021 www.airmw.org/album-release
AIRMW presents the livestream final presentation for the Illinois Arts Council’s Ethnic and Folk Arts Master Apprentice Program. The presentation featuring our three pairs awardees from each of our traditional arts departments: Tatsu Aoki & Kiku Taura for shamisen, Kioto Aoki & Helen Nagata for taiko, and Fujima Shunojo & Fujima Yoshinojo for classical Japanese dance. This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency and by federal funds provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.
The 10th livestream episode features our newest addition to the AIRMW in-house roster: Mikoren dance group, as well as Grandmaster dancers Sennosuke Wakatsuki live from Chiba, Japan, Sally Mizuki based in the suburbs of Chicago & Kenny Endo from Hawaii.
The second day of the 25th Chicago Asian American Jazz Festival presents an electronics-based evening featuring long-time AIRMW collaborator Jonathan Chen and in-house artist Yoshinojo Fujima. Chan's "Traversing the Perimeter" performed by Jonathan Chen, Tatsu Aoki, Jamie Kempkers, and Julia Miller. Yoshinojo Fujima's "Kurokami E {m} urge" performed by Sanjuro Toyoaki & Da Wei Wang with calligrapher Hekiun Oda. Day two of CAAJF co-hosted by Elastic Arts.
Day one of the 25th annual Chicago Asian American Jazz Festival presents a solo set by Jeff Chan, performance by Chromic Duo and Jason Finkelman's "Kuroshio" with Nathan Wells and Joy Yang live from Rose Bowl Tavern in Urbana, IL.
AIRMW presents the 44th annual Shubukai Recital featuring Shubukai members Shunojo Fujima, Ikunojo Fujima, Yoshinojo Fujima, Aki Abatangelo, Joy Nieda, Miyumi Aoki, Yukio Nang & Sachio Nang - with Special guests Tom Lee, Kioto Aoki & Sanjuro Toyoaki.
This episode features more friends of AIRMW from Chicago, New York, Japan and California: Nobuto Yamanaka (Japan), Chromic Duo (NYC), Yuuka Shiratori (Tokyo), Jennifer Chen-Su Huang, Hua XiZi, Wu Man (California), Kikù Hibino (Chicago)
Episode 8 looks back at the history of Tatsu Aoki's the MIYUMI Project which celebrates its 20th year of Afro-Asian collaboration in Chicago and beyond. Tatsu Aoki, Kioto Aoki & Kiyomi Negi introduce archival footage
A 3-hour special looking at the history of AIRMW's Tsukasa Taiko program – the largest, most active community ensemble taiko group in the midwest with both community and professional presence. With special guests Edward Wilkerson Jr. (Chicago), Michael Zerang (Chicago), JoVia Armstrong (California), Melody Takata (Chicago), Chizuru Kineya (Japan), Takane Umeya (Japan), Hyakkyo Fukuhara Japan); Wesley Hitomo Yee from GenRyu Arts and Colin Wong, Nicole Sumida, Mariko & Kailani Yu, Randall West, Noriko Sugiyama, Kioto Aoki & Kiyomi Negi of Tsukasa Taiko.
The seventh installment of our AIRMW livestream welcomes current ensemble and alumni drummers who have been with Tsukasa since the founding of our group. Featuring intergenerational dialogue and a look back at our 25-year history highlighting the achievements pioneered by Tsukasa in the Chicago Japanese/Asian American scene.
Episode 05 is another Shubukai program presented by AIRMW’s three Fujima Grandmasters. The discussion focuses on one of the classic Nagauta dances “Sanbaso,” accompanied by archival footage and a live performance exploring the path from training to the stage. Special guest Koryu Nishikawa joins us live from Tokyo.
Tatsu Aoki curates AIRMW for HotHouseGlobal featuring musicians, academics, and artists from AIRMW's national and international network. With GREX [Karl Evangelista & Rei Scampavia] (San Francisco), Chizuru Kineya (Tokyo), John-Carlos Perea (San Francisco), Chihsuan Yang (Los Angeles), Scott Oshiro (San Francisco), Edward Wilkerson Jr., Tsukasa Taiko (Chicago).
The fourth installment of our AIRMW livestream goes “behind the curtains” of Tsukasa Taiko’s annual winter concert Taiko Legacy at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. We will introduce never-before-seen footage, special photos, and a full breakdown of our process as we prepare our largest production of the year. This will be a true virtual VIP backstage pass to everything that unfolds off the Tsukasa Taiko stage.
Tatsu Aoki curates AIRMW for HotHouseGlobal featuring musicians, academics, and artists from AIRMW's national and international network. With Antonin Hoang (France), Yuko Fujiyama (NYC), Helen Nagata (San Diego), Matsuya Nozawa (Japan), Kiyomi Negi & Kioto Aoki (Chicago), Hiroshi Mehata (Japan), Yoko Reikano Kimura (New York), Ayaka Nakama (Japan), Jason Finkelman & Joy Yang (Champaign,IL) & members of the SKYLANDING Project.
Tatsu Aoki curates AIRMW for HotHouseGlobal featuring musicians, academics, and artists from AIRMW's national and international network. With Yuko Oshima (France), Natsuki Kubo (Japan), Tom Lee (Chicago), Jen Shyu (New York), Mari Fujihira (Japan), Da Wei Wang (Chicago), Francis Wong (San Francisco), Jia-Ling Hsu (Taiwan) Yoko Noge (Chicago), Jeff Chan (Chicago), Melody Takata (San Francisco)
Tatsu Aoki curates the first AIRMW for HotHouse program featuring musicians, academics, and artists from AIRMW's national and international network. Inaugural episode featuring John Cheng (New York), Russell Jeung (San Francisco), Mai Sugimoto (Chicago), Jon Jang (San Francisco), Rami Atassi (Chicago), Byoung Kim (Chicago), Lenora Lee (San Francisco), Jonathan Chen (NYC), Shubukai (Chicago), and Tsukasa Taiko (Chicago).
The third installment of our AIRMW livestream gives access to the very rare, behind the scene episodes of Shubukai, AIRMW's Japanese classical dance troupe. The episode will feature archival footages and a live performance revolving around the Nagauta piece: Shiokumi. We discuss the preparation that goes into the presentation of a single dance, and what each dancer focuses on perfecting prior to stepping on stage.
The second installment of our AIRMW livestream features Tsukasa Taiko’s premier performance unit National Gintenkai Project members. Young adult performers from Chicago and San Francisco’s GenRyu Arts join to discuss the revival of 1970’s Tokyo experimental theater music, cross-city collaboration, and their personal experience as an active taiko player.
The inaugural episode features established artists from Chicago and Tokyo in a premiere program introducing AIRMW's core performance art ensembles, Tsukasa Taiko (Japanese drumming) and Shubukai (Japanese classical dance). Both groups keep an active schedule with over combined 100 showcases a year, and for the first time ever broadcast via a virtual full-concert presentation highlighting the motivation behind AIRMW's mission statement.
