ABOUT THE SHOW

“It’s the most fun you’ll ever have learning about the Japanese Interment” asserts creator / performer Kunji Ikeda, “with such a dark topic, I knew I wanted to include some lightness, some fun, some laughter.”

Sansei: The Storyteller uses a wide variety of storytelling devices including comedy, dance, spoken word poetry, historical audio, and family interviews to share a true storytelling spectacular. This award-winning performance tells the story of one of Canada’s darkest decisions and unwraps how – with help from the audience – the story of racism doesn’t need to end in hate.

ABOUT KUNJI MARK IKEDA

Kunji Ikeda (池田  勲二 he/they) plays with physical communication to grow physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing within his communities across Turtle Island. Their fearless political work explores our communities most pressing political ideas and has earned multiple awards and nominations for performance and choreography. Ikeda has trained intensively with One Yellow Rabbit and has offered his diverse creative lens to dance, theatre, choir, and musical ensembles across Canada. Ikeda is the Artistic Director of Cloudsway Dance Theatre based in Mohkinstsis (also known as Calgary), and is honoured to be pursuing a life of connection and empathy.

Ikeda was awarded the Enbridge Emerging Artist Award by the Calgary Arts Development Authority in 2015, as well as named an Artist in Residence at the Banff Centre 2019, to generate his massive dance theatre adaptation of Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment. Through the Paris based L’AiR Arts, Ikeda became a member of an ongoing international cohort of interdisciplinary artists with the intention of empowering artists as vectors of cross-cultural dialogue to fuel the evolution of culture, politics, and society. In February 2020 Ikeda was invited into the rehearsal process of Akram Khan’s work with the English National Ballet. In the summer of 2020 their clown-dance work Know the Rules, Win the Game was one of five Canadian works curated to present at the Canadian Dance Showcase at the world renown TanzMesse in Dusseldorf Germany. Their award-winning solo performance Sansei: The Storyteller continues to be presented internationally. They were honoured to serve as Programming Director of the National Association of Japanese Canadians first national arts summit for the fall of 2022, and was also named One Yellow Rabbits Arts Leadership Associate.

He enjoys climbing trees and drinking tea.

TICKETS ON SALE!

Adult: $45 | Senior: $38 | Student: $16

BOX OFFICE: 604.927.6555 | Open Monday – Saturday, 12PM – 5PM