Noh 能

choi

(1) Okina and Hagoromo. Lincoln Center Festival, undated
http://lincolncenterfestival.org/2016/okina-hagoromo
(performance: July 13-17, 2016)

Full text:

This summer, Kiyokazu KANZE 観世 清和 [1959- ; 能楽師] —the 26th Grand Master of the Kanze School 観世流 and a descendent of the founder of Noh—brings the profound lyricism and aesthetic elegance of this ancient dramatic art form to Lincoln Center. On an authentic Noh stage constructed especially for Lincoln Center Festival, Kanze Noh Theatre 観世能楽堂 [pronounced Kanze Nōgaku dō] will present five different Noh dramas selected from the repertoire of approximately 240, as well as two Kyōgen 狂言, the customary comic interlude in a Noh program.

In this performance, the Grand Master is joined onstage by his son and artistic heir, Saburōta Kanze  観世 三郎太 [now 17 years old], for the oldest Noh play, Okina 翁, a dance-based sacred rite. The second part features Hagoromo 羽衣 (The Robe of Feathers), a springtime myth in which a fisherman must return a feathered robe to a celestial maiden.

Note:
(a) 観世 清和 is "a descendent of the founder of Noh."

(観世) 流祖 was 観阿弥 (1333-1384), whose 幼名 or 芸名 was Kanze 観世.

(b)
(i) The "oh" is another transliteration of Japanese "ō," both signifying a long vowel of "o."
(ii) The 能 (noh or nō( is also known as 能楽 (nōgaku) -- derived from the kanji for "skill" or "talent."

(c) kyōgen  狂言
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyōgen
(It developed alongside Noh, was performed along with Noh as an intermission of sorts between Noh acts, on the same Noh stage, and retains close links to Noh in the modern day)
(d) Japanese English dictionary:
* ō (principal)/okina 翁 【おう(P); おきな】 (n): "old man; venerable gentleman"  (The "ō" and "okina" are Chinese and Japanese pronunciations, respectively, of kanji 翁.)
* hagoromo (principal)/ u-i   羽衣 【はごろも(P); うい】 (n): "angel's raiment; robe of feathers"  (The "hagoromo" and "u-i" are Japanese and Chinese pronunciations, respectively, of kanji 羽衣.)

choi

Charles Isherwood, At Lincoln Center Festival, Timeless Japanese Noh Dramas. New York Times, July 15, 2016.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/1 ... ese-noh-dramas.html

Note:
(a) "Noh plays are spare and simple, performed on a bare stage traditionally made of Japanese cypress, with just an image of a pine tree adorning the back wall. (Missing from the presentation at the Rose Theater, perhaps for sightline reasons, is the roof that normally covers the main playing area.)"

能
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/能
(caption of photo 1: 厳島神社の能舞台)
(b) " The actors shuffle onstage in stockinged feet that seem to move by the smallest increments"

Noh
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noh
(view photos, paying attention to "stockinged feet")

(c) "Supertitles in English provide a basic synopsis."
(i) surtitle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surtitles
(also known as supertitles; The word "surtitle" comes from the French language "sur,' meaning "over" or "on", and the English language word "title")

Compare Big Sur
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Sur
("The name 'Big Sur' is derived from the original Spanish-language 'el sur grande,' meaning 'the big south' * * * This name refers to its location south of the city of Monterey")
(ii) The preceding Wiki page does not have an illustration or a photo. So. search images.google.com with supertitle.

(d) "one can admire the rigor with which Mr Kanze and his fellow performers enact this peculiar rite, moving their limbs and flourishing fans with striking precision. * * * After Mr Kanze has concluded his rite, another character, Sambasō 三番叟, a 'harbinger of good harvest' played by Yasutarō YAMAMOTO 山本 泰太郎, performs a stomping dance and eventually dons his own black mask to continue the dance."

flourish (vt): "to wield with dramatic gestures :  BRANDISH"
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flourish

(e) " 'Hagoromo 羽衣' bears at least a trace of plot. The fisherman 漁師 who discovers the robe of feathers, played by Tsuneyoshi MORI 森 常好, is actually a supporting player who mainly observes the action when he encounters the Angel 天女, who explains that only if she retrieves the robe can she ascend once more to heaven. In return she performs an elaborate dance clad in the robe. As this character [Angel], Yoshinobu KANZE 観世 芳信 [清和's youngest brother] (female roles are still often played by men in Noh theater) moves with remarkable grace and delicacy, using the fabric of his elaborate costume almost as an extension of his body.
(i) 羽衣 is the play (and costume) in photo 1 of (2)(b).
(ii) Japanese-English dictionary:
* ryōshi 漁師 【りょうし】 (n): "fisherman"
* ten-nyo 天女 【てんにょ】 (n): "heavenly nymph; celestial maiden"

(f) "during the intervals of Mr Kanze's dance in 'Okina,' attendants seated behind him carefully and decorously rearranged the hem of his garment so it would hang in perfect scallops."
(i) scallop (n): "one of a continuous series of circle segments or angular projections forming a border (as on cloth or metal)"
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scallop
(ii) What does it look like?  Search images.google.com with (scallop border).
(iii) Honestly I do not see scallops in 翁's costume. But (2)(b) (羽衣) does look like them.