Meet the exotic and dramatic Kaori, who performed at a venue in Austin during South by Southwest (SXSW) Music Festival as well as on the street. She’s not alone however, she’s part of a band called Kao=S (in other words CHAOS), but before I introduce you to her team, take a look at her beautiful, mysterious, colorful drama-rich dancing, a style I couldn’t get enough of.
The mask was part of her “play.”
Most of the time on btw but she did expose her face, particularly at the end.
From scarves to sweeping and long lunges, she kept going. I uploaded the below photo at an angle on purpose, as a toast to their name: CHAOS or in Japanese Kao=S.
In a trance? Hard to tell, but most definitely a zone, one which was intoxicating.
Final drama.
And now, it’s time to meet her cohorts: Shuji, Jack and Daisuke. They call themselves a Japanese Rock Band with Tsugaru-Shamisen, Shakuhachi, Guitar and Katana.
This Japanese group creates an extremely original performance of beauty and passion. They perform songs with Tsugaru-Syamisen, Shakuhachi, and Acoustic Guitar, twin vocal of man and woman, and Japanese-Sword dance. Their style is a fusion of Japanese tradition and modern rock music. Kaori, Jack and Shuji started Kao = S in April 2011 in Tokyo. Kaori Kawabuchi (vocals / sword dancer) is an actress, and a sword performer. She has performed as a motion actor in the FINAL FANTASY Video Game series while Jack is a player of Tsugaru-Syamisen in Rock style and calls himself a Syamisenist. He has performed in many countries, which include the U.S, Europe and Asia. Shuji Yamagiri (vocal / guitar) is a leader and main songwriter whose lead is the acoustic guitar.
They were one of my favorite surprises at SXSW this year since they came out of nowhere and were not on my original “must see,” list. We recommend that if you have a chance to see them, they should be on yours. They’ll apparently be in Germany this summer, performing in Nippon Connection in Frankfurt am Main in June 2013.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
