IKKAI means once: a transplanted pilgrimage incorporates selections from poet and activist Janice Mirikitani (1942-2021), live accompaniment by taiko artist PJ Hirabayashi, and original music by Paul Chihara, PJ Hirabayashi, and Roy Hirabayashi, with a movement score performed by the dancers of KAMBARA+ to take the audience on a journey from the normalcy of life through the brutal process of being uprooted and incarcerated. The work culminates in a circle dance of gratitude and recognition in which we are all invited to participate. 

“I wanted to center the experience of Japanese Americans, not the institutions and governments that history focuses on. I hope you feel the people who inspired this dance,” writes choreographer Yayoi Kambara, a California-based dance maker and director of KAMBARA+. 

IKKAI will be performed by KAMBARA+ on Saturday, September 16 at the Ferst Center for the Arts. Audience members will be seated on stage, sharing space with the dancers and musicians and building a community of trust and understanding. 

Due to limited seating, a second show has been added! Tickets are still available for 4:30 and 8 p.m.

Student tickets $10 with code IKKAIGT

Faculty and staff tickets $15

Public tickets $25