Yebisu Garden Place, The Garden Hall and other locations in Tokyo
Until March 8
Searching for talent or work among Tokyo's many performing- arts companies can be a challenge. Agents, promoters, producers, festival directors, artists — anyone in the performing arts industries — are faced with a huge selection of dance, theater and music groups. How to quickly sift through the pickings and make the right connection? The easy answer is the Tokyo Performing Arts Market 2008 (www.tpam.or.jp).
Now in its 12th year, TPAM offers a showcase of performing arts groups under one roof, as well as selected locations throughout Tokyo. Like last year, TPAM expects about 2,900 participants from more than 35 countries. From March 6-8, at the main venue within Yebisu Garden Place, there are booth presentations with about 50 exhibitors; visual presentations of promotional video works by about 10 groups; an international showcase with about seven performances; conferences with an international focus; promotion for the Tokyo International Arts Festival (until March 24); and satellite meetings among groups connected with the Belgium-based International Network for Contemporary Performing Arts (IETM).
As part of the TPAM Showcase, a cornucopia of cutting-edge performances will be held at venues throughout Tokyo extending past March 8. Highlights include the theater company Chelfitsch with performances at SuperDeluxe in Roppongi (see story top left). ARIGA 10 MUSIC (at Sinjuku Minotaure 2 in Tokyo's Shinjuku until March 7) guarantees a strong acoustic mix, with shamisen, taikodrum, shakuhachi and koto players mixing in with the sounds of African musicians — a worldwide one-of-a-kind.