There are many good reasons to know The Tale of Prince Genji.
The Japanese epic is widely considered to be the world’s first novel. It was written in the 11th century by a woman, lady-in-waiting Murasaki Shikibu, during the Heian period, a time that saw the establishment of the most traditional forms of Japanese dance, music, literature, the waka form of poetry and even the writing system – much of which is well reflected in Shikibu’s tale.
But for Nao Kusuzaki, there is one additional reason that is much closer to home.
“It happens to be one of my mother’s favorite books,” says Kusuzaki.
The Japanese-American choreographer (and former soloist with the Houston Ballet) will soon premiere a new chamber ballet based on Shikibu’s novel, titled Genji, commissioned by Asia Society Texas and presented in partnership with the Houston Ballet.
“During this time period is when the Japanese people really cultivated their own forms of art,” says Kusuzaki. “Not only was it my mother’s favorite literary work, but it was written by a woman back in the day…It’s fiction, but you can understand and learn a lot about [Japanese] history through the novel, and so that intrigued me tremendously.”
Though she admits to being “overwhelmed” by the novel, a tome of more than one thousand pages, Kusuzaki’s approach was simple: Start at the beginning and simplify, simplify, simplify. Despite being filled with drama spanning across generations, Kusuzaki’s goal was to bring out just a few characters as well as the cultural elements she wanted to share.
One aspect Kusuzaki found to be an interesting part of her culture and history was the separation of men and women by screens during the Heian period.
“Even if you were a close family member, once you came of age you were divided,” says Kusuzaki. “But instead of featuring the division, I wanted to bring out the voices of the women, which was rare during that time.”
Because Shikibu’s status as a novelist was also a rarity, Kusuzaki says she wanted to bring Shikibu’s presence into the piece, not as a character – “that would bring too much confusion,” explains Kusuzaki – but to show that women “also had voices.”
“They built their own communities in their own environment,” says Kusuzaki, adding that even though there are many female characters in Shikibu’s novel, readers don’t necessarily see it that way.
“We tend to think of Genji as just going through one after the other, going through relationship after relationship, but each character does have their own voice and you do have their point of view,” says Kusuzaki. “I wanted to bring that out, that it may not have been like that. Maybe it was really the women that held him up, and brought him to life.”
This approach to the material caused concern until Kusuzaki consulted with Dr. Melissa McCormick, the Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Japanese Art and Culture at Harvard University. McCormick will give a talk the day before the premiere as well as speak prior to Friday’s performance to provide historical context and, as Kusuzaki says, “the things that I can’t possibly include in the stage work.”
“I wasn’t sure in the beginning, before I talked with her, if it was just my imagination or [I was] taking too much liberty…[But] she confirmed what I wanted to go for, which is the perspectives of the females,” says Kusuzaki. “Having her as a guide, it was comforting to me. I didn’t feel too much pressure or need to include all of the history behind this work, but to take the freedom to express what I had imagined.”
Kusuzaki’s Genji will focus on four female characters, their relationships to each other and, of course, to Prince Genji: Aoi, Genji’s first wife; Fujitsubo, an object of Genji’s infatuation; Murasaki, a woman Genji tries to mold into his ideal; and Rokujyo, a lover whose jealousy comes out as a living spirit to murder women who have affairs with the Prince.
Once she began reading the novel, Kusuzaki says she found the relationships and emotions of Shikibu’s work to be quite familiar.
“I could relate to each of the four characters and also to [Genji],” says Kusuzaki. “There’s a part of me that tries to suppress my jealousy, but it is there. There is another person who feels insecure, but does not show it. There’s the love that you just cannot attain.”
To tell the story of these characters, Kusuzaki is using classical ballet vocabulary set to original music composed by Kaoru Watanabe, who will portray Prince Genji’s father figure and play live on stage.
“For this piece, somehow, the classical ballet vocabulary works really well. It’s a classic tale, it has a lot of elegance and beauty already in this particular work, so I didn’t want to really go beyond that,” says Kusuzaki.
In terms of design, instead of trying to replicate 11th-century Japan on stage, Kusuzaki says the look of Genji is modern.
Though the screens used to divide the men and women will be represented in Ryan McGettigan’s set design – pivoting “like a revolving door” to show the “passing of time and [the characters] growing up into their mature selves” – Kusuzaki describes them as “a more updated, contemporary version.”
“We can still feel a sense of tradition in some elements – through the calligraphy projected onto the screens; through the traditional instrumentations that the musician will bring with him, like the flute and the koto and the drums; through the fabrics of kimono,” says Kusuzaki.
The character of Rokujyo, for example, transforms from someone “very sophisticated” to someone “very dark,” so Kusuzaki says she and former Houston Ballet First Soloist-turned-costume designer Allison Miller played with the kimono fabrics to create those different personas.
For costumes, Kusuzaki called on Miller because of her prior creations for the Houston Ballet.
“I was familiar with her delicate, elegant lines and the beautiful materials that she uses, and I wanted to keep it very neutral with pops of colors,” says Kusuzaki. “It’s very simple with some [Japanese] elements.”
Describing herself as “pretty new” to choreographing, Kusuzaki says that she always envisioned Genji as a smaller scale chamber ballet, but this piece is not necessarily the end of the story.
“In the back of my mind I was thinking I would love to continue creating another act and adding on to it,” says Kusuzaki. “So, there’s possibilities for future ballets.”
Performances of Genji are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 24, and Saturday, March 25, at Asia Society Texas Center, 1370 Southmore. For more information, call 713-496-9901 or visit asiasociety.org/texas. $45-$55.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2023.
