Ikebana demonstration at the luxury resort “Fuchun Shanju” in Hangzhou, China, on April 12, 2025.
In my last blog, I introduced a video, so this time I would like to show some photos. The video above is a trailer that was aired in China.
The blog with the video of the performance is here.
The stage was a 25m x 25m pool.
It’s so huge!
We left some water in the pool and performed while incorporating water as an element.
This time, we collaborated with dance for the first time. The dance was choreographed by Ino Maiko. She came up with a dance to liven up the flower arrangements. We really discussed the direction together, but we only had about two days, so we created it under extreme conditions.
It’s so huge!
We left some water in the pool and performed while incorporating water as an element.
This time, we collaborated with dance for the first time. The dance was choreographed by Ino Maiko. She came up with a dance to liven up the flower arrangements. We really discussed the direction together, but we only had about two days, so we created it under extreme conditions.
Here’s a photo of it when it was completed. You can get a sense of the size, right?
The audience was seated by the pool like this.。
Amazingly beautiful Banksweet Roses
Some grow to over 3m!
When I found them in the mountains at the resort, I exclaimed in delight at their beauty!
Some grow to over 3m!
When I found them in the mountains at the resort, I exclaimed in delight at their beauty!
Although I’ve tried to arrange them as lightly as possible, each branch is still quite heavy.
This is the scene where she appears holding bamboo.
The music also changes to something much more stimulating.
All of the music is original music written by a Chinese female composer who we met through an introduction from a student at the Shanghai class.
We are grateful for these encounters that connect people together!
What should we do with the 3m-long thin bamboo? Although we had decided on the shape we wanted, we still had to think about the movements we would make to get there. We handed the thin bamboo to Maiko, who had just arrived on site, and she moved it across the water with beautiful movements. Then, a beautiful, pretty circle appeared on the water’s surface – how fantastical! Maiko’s the best!
During the actual performance, all five of us moved the bamboo across the water. I’m sure the audience was captivated by the beauty of the circles that appeared and disappeared one after another on the water’s surface.
We were wondering what to do about the water splashing on the audience, but the hotel manager said, “Our guests would be happier if they got wet!” so we didn’t hesitate to make big splashes and splash water on the audience.
During the actual performance, all five of us moved the bamboo across the water. I’m sure the audience was captivated by the beauty of the circles that appeared and disappeared one after another on the water’s surface.
We were wondering what to do about the water splashing on the audience, but the hotel manager said, “Our guests would be happier if they got wet!” so we didn’t hesitate to make big splashes and splash water on the audience.
I received a lot of blessings from the mountains.
Dancing photos.
With the help of many people, including choreographer Maiko Ino, assistant Pepe, the Chinese dance team, and all the staff, I think I was able to express the style of flower arranging that I most want to do right now. It was an unforgettable performance for me as well.
