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Tanno Ken'ichi's Profile


PHOTO/Michi
TANNO KEN'ICHI PHOTO
Performing Artists

Born in Tokyo 1965
He came to have a concern for arts triggered by techno pop, punk and new wave music.

After graduation from Azabu private high school, he participated in Tanaka Min 's 4th Mai-juku. Performed at several show in all over Japan. Started own works from 1985. Performed once a month at small theatres and outdoors had an unexpected performance at hamburger shops etc. He also had a naked performance in an entertainment train, which caused much controversy.

After 1992, he started serious shows rebuilding the site with using excessive amounts of materials such as more than 3000 pieces concrete blocks, red liquid, 4 tons of pink powder, a powered shovel for building, metal balls, carbide balls, bolts, 4 meters-height mirror walls.

On the other hand, he started "PUNK EXECUTION -SHORT SOLO WORKS-"; short solo pieces with punkish freaky characters with costumes and makeup.

A lot of performances were held in non-theatrical spaces such as rivers, dams, woods, cliffs and the sea.

In any case, sounds, lighting designs, sets and costumes are extremely important. They function as equal as a performer. Sound and light should be live as much as possible.

The works are not supposed to be a communication tool to indicate artists certain messages.

He already performed at 17 prefectures domestically and 15 cities in 12 countries so far including US. Switzerland, Poland, UK, Germany, France, Thailand, India, Austria, Lithuania, Hungary and Czech.




The performances Tanno create have neither stories nor words.
Sometimes huge amount of "Objects" as a set are on stage, and punkish freaky characters sometimes appear and non-theatrical space sometimes can be a stage.
The "Objects", the characters and the spaces trigger the movements. It is totally different from other theatrical art forms or any dance as a genre. The Objects, the characters and the space are equal to a performer.

The works is not supposed to be a communication tool to indicate artists certain messages. The stage does not dedicate to meaning, emotion, stories and items, which is assumed beforehand.
There is no right answer. It totally up to witnesses how they grasp the things they saw.

There is usually only Tanno on stage, but the collaboration between sound, light, sets and costumes are extremely important.
It is something like a relationship between vocalists, guitar, bass and drum in musical band.
The sound and the light must be live as much as possible. The structure of his works is precisely designed in details, but they are recomposed by split seconds judgment at the live. This results in tense feeling, which is not just a revival of a fixed works.

Tanno has ever invited to a lot of dance festivals and dance related events. He is happy about this but he has never called his works as a dance, because his interests and relationship with dance was very weak when he first had interests in arts, and the definition of a dance is different by individuals.
Tanno does not feel he should be conscious with certain art forms, nor dances. He also does not feel he should be anti of some genre.

His style, breaking objects, diving into risks and put importance on visuals are criticized as being superficial. However, he has deep doubt with the opposite of the surface, abyss and the tendency to believe in internal existence without any notations. Everything may be surface, paralleled.
TANNO KENIICHI PHOTO
PHOTO/Herman Fink



Members

Skank, Music
Skank PHOTO Performs mainly at live houses in Tokyo.
He is the leader of the musical band MEXI that collaborates with films, photographs, illustrations and physical expressions etc. He has ever played the guitar for SEAGULL SCREAMING KISS HER KISS HER at their formation. He also participated in Violent Onsen Geishas lives. He now joins the guitar players unit, "SSS, T" who uses one string guitar. The "SSS, T" is lead by wiggle from GIL, K. He also offered and played music for physical expression works such as Ohashi Kakuya and dancers, Katata Chisato.
Took part in Tanno Kenichi's Numbering Machine as a musician from American tour in 2002.

MEXI web page
http://mexi-mexi.com/


Matsumoto jiro, Music
Jiro PHOTO
PHOTO/SEKI SATORU
Started classic guitar at the age of 9.
He won the first prize at the Yomiuri Japan Guitar competition in 1994. He was heavily influenced by punk rock music on the other hand. Started music career in 1995, and learned Flamenco guitar in St. Michael in Mexico.
Played for Tanno from 1996. Released sound truck CD in 2000. He formed his own band Shamion with Matsumoto Taro, the Shakuhachi Player and Doi Hideyuki, the percussionist.
He plays the guitar and sings a song at the band. Released self produced 3 CD so far. Preside Kotetsu Jidosha.

Shamion web page
http://shamion.com/


Murase Masao, Lighting Designer and Stage Manager
@ Participated in the formation of a theatre company, Shokogun in 1990. He has ever worked for serious numbers of theatre companies, stages and dance performances as a lighting designers and a stage manager. Participated in Tanno's NUMBERING MACHINE from 2000.
Participated in "Uba" produced by Nanatsudera Kyodo Studio, written and directed by Norio Shindo, Joined JCDN tour, Odorini Ikuze! In 2001, 2002.


Other members


Uno Atsuko, Lighting operator


Rukawa Riko "Poiretica", Costume designer


Shimizu Teruo, Assistant Stage Manager


Murayama Jun, Video-grapher


Yamaguchi kako, Production Management


Matsumoto Miwa, Artist Management


Etc. Varied up to performance
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