Multi-instrumentalist Chiho Kagawa has begun a new life – and will explore her miraculous rebirth in a deeply personal, transformational performance.
Chiho plays the Okinawan sanshin, the erhu (Chinese violin) and is the only Armonica (aka Glass Harmonica) player in Australia.
Following a terminal cancer diagnosis and a stint in palliative care, Chiho recovered, against all odds. She found that everything from her past – her former partner, family, friends, work – had vanished. What remained, was the voice of her soul.
She'll draw upon sounds and sensations that echo from soul memories of her time in China, Mongolia, Okinawa, India ad Hawaii.
“My ‘Rebirth’ story, is based on my actual experience, a big journey I've gone through,” Chiho reflects. “I was in the hospital in palliative care in 2019. The doctors said that the cancer spread and I can't be helped. I stayed in the operative care for 50 days waiting for my death.”
“My family flew from Japan and Canada to say goodbye to me, but I was brought back miraculously to this world and I'm alive again. And the struggle was not finished just by coming back to life. So I kept struggling to adjust to life, or to come back to the real world.”
Image © Ange Costes
“It must be a bit difficult for most people to imagine, but when I came back to life, I felt like I came back to a completely different person's life. It's someone's clothes, someone's house. So I felt a different person, really, and struggled. It was not fun.”
'Chiho Kagawa's Rebirth' blends improvisation, storytelling, poetry, and ceremonial prayer to tell the story of one soul's reset. The performance space is a space where voices that transcend borders and cultures converge, featuring performers Daniel Philippe (pianist, composer and educator), Toshi Yoshida (Awa Odori dancer and musician), and Yuki Taniguchi (Japanese Butoh dancer).
“People always wanted to hear my story. I was interviewed, but this is the first time I initiated it,” Chiho continues. “'Rebirth' is the story of my struggle, dark days. Then I was dying. And then transformation. Transition happened. And then, after, after life, after coming back to life.”
'Rebirth' is playing as part of BEMAC Unplugged – a series of shows recreating the intimate vibe of BEMAC's shows at Yungaba.
'Chiho Kagawa's Rebirth' is on at VENTspace (Brisbane) 23 November.
