Japanese puppet performance AKUTAGAWA in Pittsburgh, February 5; puppeteer panel discussion on February 7.

Pittsburgh CAPA will host two performances of AKUTAGAWA on February 5, followed by a puppeteer panel discussion on February 7. A synopsis of the performance, from the Japan America Society of Pennsylvania:

AKUTAGAWA is a stage portrait of Ryunosuke Akutagawa, father of the modern Japanese short novel and author of In a Grove, the basis of Akira Kurosawa’s landmark 1950 film Rashomon. Told through the traditional puppetry style kuruma ningyo blended with dynamic video images, AKUTAGAWA is an amalgam of five of his famous short stories—including Rashomon, Hell Screen (Jigokuhen), The Dragon, Toshishun and Kappa. The show explores the author’s artistic insight and fragile emotional state. This production is made through an international collaboration between puppeteers Koryu Nishikawa V (Tokyo) and Tom Lee (Chicago), with live music by Yukio Tsuji (New York).

AKUTAGAWA is supported by Arts Council Tokyo (Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture) and The Osaka Community Foundation / anonymous fund No.22.

Tickets are available online at $28 for the general public and $18 for students or those under 18. The JASP says of the puppeteer panel discussion on the 7th:

Koryu Nishikawa V and Tom Lee will join Pittsburgh-based puppeteer David English in a panel discussing how puppetry can be a vehicle to express art and literature, as well as the cultural differences in the medium.

Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts is located at 111 9th Street downtown (map).

An Evening with Brenda Song, January 26 at Pitt.

The Pitt Program Council and Asian Student Alliance will present "An Evening with Brenda Song" on January 26. The event is free and open to the University of Pittsburgh undergraduate community, while tickets last:

Join Pitt Program Council and Asian Student Alliance in celebrating AAPI month with “An Evening with Brenda Song” on Thursday, January 26th at 8:30 pm in the Assembly Room of the William Pitt Union! The event will last one hour and will include a 45-minute moderated Q&A followed by 15 minutes for audience questions.

Tickets are free and can be picked up in the Pitt Program Council office (WPU Room M-30) starting on Friday, January 13th at 8:30 AM while supplies last. You are able to pick up 2 tickets but both you and the person you get a ticket for will have to present your Pitt IDs at the door on the night of the event.

All Pitt Program Council events are open to all undergraduate Pitt students with a valid (Oakland) Student ID. Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact the Pitt Program Council at ppc@pitt.edu or by phone at 412-648-7900 for proper accommodations.

New Hong Kong movie A Guilty Conscience (毒舌大狀) in Pittsburgh, from January 20.

The new Hong Kong movie A Guilty Conscience (毒舌大狀) will play in Pittsburgh from January 20. A synopsis, from the distributor:

A scandal breaks out when it is revealed that a famous supermodel might be abusing her daughter. As the rich and famous rush to take sides, the legal field does the same. Though a few prominent judges and lawyers want to give the young daughter justice, the cover-up being done by the supermodel and her connections makes it nearly impossible.

Starring 黃子華 Dayo Wong, 謝君豪 Tse Kwan Ho, 王丹妮 Louise Wong, 廖子妤 Fish Liew, 王敏德 Michael Wong, 何啟華 Dee Gor Ho, 楊偲泳 Renci Yeung, 栢天男 Adam Pak

It plays locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront and tickets are available online.

2022 Korean film Broker (브로커), starring Song Kang-ho, remains in Pittsburgh through January 26.

The 2022 Korean film Broker (브로커), which opened in Pittsburgh on January 12, will remain here through at least January 26. A synopsis, from Han Cinema:

A film about people who have become involved around 'the Baby Box' which is designed to allow people who cannot raise children to leave their babies anonymously.

Broker was the 18th highest-grossing film in Korea last year, 10th among domestic films there. It plays locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront through the 19th and at the Squirrel Hill Manor through the 26th.

Pittsburgh Taiko Beginner Class four-week session, Sundays starting February 12.

Pittsburgh Taiko will start its next series of Beginner Classes on February 12. From the Japan America Society of Pennsylvania:

On Sundays starting February 12, Pittsburgh Taiko will hold a four-week introductory class for people who are interested in joining our performing group or anyone who wants to just give taiko a try. No experience necessary!

Taiko combines energetic hits with calm focus, balances group unity with individual expression, and requires both power and subtlety.

For more information, see www.pittsburghtaiko.org/classes.

Proof of full vaccination is required, and masks must be worn in the building, including during class.

Please note that the studio is only accessible by stairs.

The cost is $30 for JASP members and high school or college students, and $40 for the rest of the community. Classes are held at 2 N. Balph Ave. in Bellevue (map). Those interested can contact Pittsburgh Taiko via the form here.

Removing the Thorns of Human Suffering with Hiromi Itō & Jeffrey Angles, February 26 at City of Asylum.

The City of Asylum wlll host "Removing the Thorns of Human Suffering with Hiromi Itō & Jeffrey Angles" on February 26.

Co-Presented by the University of Pittsburgh Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures and MONKEY x Stone Bridge Press, award-winning author Hiromi Itō and esteemed translator Jeffrey Angles present a reading of The Thorn Puller, Hiromi’s first novel to appear in English. The semi-autobiographical and incomparable novel explores the absurdities, complexities, and challenges experienced by a woman caring for her two families: her husband and daughters in California and her aging parents in Japan. As Hiromi shuttles back and forth between these two starkly different cultures, she creates a powerful and entertaining narrative about what it means to live and die in a globalized society. She channels a myriad of voices drawn from Japanese folklore, poetry, literature, and pop culture, the result of which is a generic chimera—part poetry, part prose, part epic. As her world delves into waves of chaos coming from seemingly every direction, Hiromi relies on sardonic humor and Buddhist bodhisattva Jizo, a being believed to remove the thorns of human suffering, to ease her anguish. The Thorn Puller is a darkly humorous novel with observations on life, death, and the in-between that make for a fearless look at what every adult in every country must face: growing older as their loved ones do too.

You can purchase your own copy of Hiromi’s book, The Thorn Puller, at City of Asylum Bookstore.

It runs from 3:00 to 4:30 pm both in person and online; it's free but tickets are required. The in-person discussion will be held at Alphabet City on the North Side (map).

New Pirates signee Shim Jun-seok to be at PNC Park on the 26th for introductory meeting.

from @Pirates 

Shim Jun-seok (심준석), an 18-year-old Korean pitching prospect signed by the Pirates on January 15th, will make his way to Pittsburgh on the 24th and will has a formal introduction to the team on the 26th, according to SBS.

심준석은 오는 24일 미국으로 출국해, 현지 시간으로 26일 미국 펜실베이니아주 피츠버그 PNC 파크에서 열리는 입단식에 참석합니다.

Shim pitches for Duk-soo High School (덕수고교) in Seoul, and has drawn comparisons to fellow Korean (and forer Pirate) Chan-ho Park.

Pittsburgh Pirates sign top Korean pitching prospect Shim Jun-seok.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed 18-year-old pitcher Shim Jun-seok (심준석), considered among the best prospects in baseball and the top Korean prospect, according to Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com.

Shim, South Korea's top prospect, throws a fastball that tops out at 100 mph and consistently sits in the 94-96 range. He features a true 12-6 curveball and shows good command of all of his pitches. What’s more, the big and strong-bodied Shim has been praised for his clean arm action and his athleticism.

It’s also worth noting that his slider and changeup are also emerging and could eventually develop into plus pitches in the future. He’s been compared to a young Chan Ho Park since his early teens because of his poise, makeup and fastball.

Chan-ho Park also pitched for Pittsburgh at the end of his career. The Pirates have had Korean prospects in their system since the 1990s, but it's only been recently that they've made an effort to scout and sign top prospects from the KBO, and from East Asia in general.

Dancing Peacock: An Asian Dance Performance by Yanlai Dance Academy, February 25.

Yanlai Dance Academy will present "Dancing Peacock: An Asian Dance Performance" on February 25.

Yanlai Dance Academy presents Dancing Peacock, an Asian dance performance. Dancing Peacock is Yanlai Dance Academy’s annual recital, featuring performances in styles and costumes from the mountain regions of Tibet, to the Dai minority group, and to the ancient caves of Dunhuang.

Yanlai Dance Academy is Pittsburgh’s leading dance studio in the art of Chinese dance. Founded in 2004 by Yanlai Wu, a graduate of Bejing Dance, Yanlai Dance Academy is the only studio in Pittsburgh that teaches Chinese dance. The studio also offers ballet, modern, K-Pop, and Pilates from ages 4 to adult.

The performance runs from 7:00 t0 10:00 pm and at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center in downtown's Cultural District (map). Tickets are available online and range from $25 to $50.

"Intensional Particle and Mold 1 Installation," video installation by Hiroaki Umeda, through March 19 at Wood Street Galleries.

The work of Japanese artist and dancer Hiroaki Umeda will remain in Pittsburgh with his "Intensional Particle and Mold 1 Installation," a video installation on display at the Wood Street Galleries downtown through March 19.

In Intensional Particle Installation (Adapted Version), Umeda reinterprets particles in space as not static molecules but rather as 'active particles (or, mass points)'; and, visualizes, in space, the 'intensional force' that particles conceal.