MEDIA CONTACT: Wendy Leopold at (847) 491-4890 or at w-leopold@northwestern.edu

April 12, 2004

Japanese Arts Master to Make Presentation

EVANSTON, Ill. --- Theatre director Shozo Sato's Kabuki interpretations of Shakespeare and the Greek classicists - Kabuki Medea and Kabuki Macbeth, for example -- have earned him a worldwide reputation. On April 24 and May 22, this Japanese-born master of traditional Japanese art forms will present a series of Saturday demonstrations of Japanese tea ceremony, dance and art at Northwestern University. A demonstration by A.D. Moore, a former student of Sato’s, will take place May 8.

Each of the free, public events will take place at 1 p.m. in the McCormick Auditorium of Norris University Center, 1999 Campus Drive, on Northwestern's Evanston campus. Free parking is available in the parking lot just off Sheridan Road on the southeastern side of campus.

A professor emeritus at the University of Illinois, Sato founded a Japanese cultural center in Urbana-Champaign. Educated in Japan, he holds the highest diplomas available in Japanese tea ceremony, flower arrangement and classical dance. In May, he will travel to Japan to receive the highest honor in Japanese arts from the Emperor of Japan.

Saturday, April 24, Sato will present "Story and Visual Image in Japanese Traditional Dance," using slides to explain how the visual images he presents are related to the lyrics and music of "Matsu no Midori" or "Evergreen of the Pine." He will explain each step and dance pose before performing the dance in its entirety.

Saturday, May 8, Former Sato student A.D. Moore will use slides to demonstrate, compare and contrast Japanese and Chinese tea ceremony practices

Saturday, May 22, Sato will present "Sense of Beauty through the Tea Ceremony." He will demonstrate the fundamental steps of a traditional Japanese tea ceremony and explain how the ceremony relates to Zen philosophy. Lecturing and using slides, he also will introduce the audience to Chinese, Korean and Japanese tea bowls and to fine replicas of textiles used in the tea ceremony.

Sato is a visiting professor at Northwestern University's Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. He is the author of numerous books and has given lecture/demonstrations and classes on Japanese culture for nearly 40 years.

For information about these events sponsored by the Weinberg School of Arts and Sciences, call Stacia at (847) 467-3005.