Enter a world of musical enchantment and surprises
The handle turns, and the gentle tones of beech and hiba wood play, sometimes with a picture-story, sometimes with a little dancing, and always with fun and other whimsical tricks.
Street organs started in Europe in the eighteenth century, as tiny hand-cranked machines for teaching songbirds to sing melodies. The street organ you will see at WMDF started along with the Hakodate Trienniale in 2012, and it has already has brought new harmonies to audiences for more than a decade.
At WMDF, when the street organ sound drifts around Motomachi Park, we know that time and place are a little different, and that new worlds and new experiences are never far away. Prepare to be transported to a place where music, imagination, and fable dance to a new kind of beat.
Musician, composer, and multi-instrumentalist Takapartch returns with his trumpet and his whimsical blue box. Insert a coin and make your choice of song. Match your mood: soundtracks, folk songs, classical, jazz or Takapartch originals. Each show is different, but you always leave with a smile.
The Human Juke Box was the outgrowth of an eclectic life of performance on streets, in live-houses, on stages and at festivals; an excursion from pantomime and puppetry production; an offshoot of dabbling in drama and dance. Now closing in on a 35th anniversary, expect Takapartch to celebrate with a contented smile. The world will call, and his trumpet refrain will be ready.
Acrobatic circus duo defy gravity for your entertainment
Winners of the All-Japan Sports Acrobatics Championships Men’s Pair, this dynamic duo is making their third appearance at the festival this year! Their acrobatic acts, perfectly synchronized with music, showcase incredible balance and circus-like teamwork that you must see to believe. As new-wave acrobatic performers, they combine humor, props, and a variety of musical backdrops to create a mesmerizing show that defies belief. Their performances seem to open a portal to a different dimension of physics, so take a deep breath and step in to become a part of their extraordinary world.
