This spooky season, join Fort Wayne Dance Collective for Shino Shadows, the 14th rendition of their annual Halloween show.

Like past years, FWDC seeks to honor diverse cultural backgrounds with this show. 

You may have seen Vodou Unveiled in 2021, which showcased Haitian heritage, or Spectacle of Spirits that paid homage to Latin culture last year. 

This year, Japanese culture, folk dance, and stories will be brought center stage. 

Also keeping with tradition, FWDC will welcome guest artists to perform alongside their professional company, students, and Fort Wayne community members. Dancers from the Japanese Folk Dance Institute of New York will come all the way from the big city to make their Fort Wayne debut in this show, which runs Oct. 20-22 at PPG ArtsLab.

Death of Shadows, Spooky Spirits

“The title of this show, Shino Shadows, literally translates to ‘Death of Shadows,’ ” FWDC Director Mandie Kolkman said. “It relates to the content of the show and also accomplishes the alliteration we love to see in our show titles.”

Kolkman says she and her staff worked with the guest Japanese folk dancers and some local Japanese American friends to come up with the title. Local graphic designer Zack Kittaka, who designed the poster for the show, also offered input. 

Shino Shadows is an allusion to Yōkai, which are spirits or supernatural presence in Japanese folklore. 

“Each Yōkai has their own story,” Kolkman said. “In Japanese folklore, the Yōkai are meant to be an explanation of why things happen. A lot of the stories we’re telling in this show have to do with why spooky things happen.”

One of the stories audience members can look forward to seeing is that of Buruburu. This Yōkai is the explanation for why we get chills when we’re scared. Then, there is the Yōkai Yanari, which is the reason old houses creak. 

“We are structuring the show to tell a cohesive story to help guide and educate the audience on Japanese folklore,” Kolkman said. 

Guest Artists Help Tell Story

This show will tell the stories of many Yōkai through various forms of dance. Audiences can expect to see Japanese folk dance, hip-hop, contemporary, and ballet. 

Having dancers from Japanese Folk Dance Institute of New York as guest artists for this show offers FWDC dancers a unique opportunity. 

“The Halloween show has turned into a guest artist residency program,” Kolkman said. “It’s a lot like our guest artist residency that happens in the spring, but the community gets to be more involved in the process with this show.”  

Kolkman said something that has been important while working with the dancers from the Japanese Folk Dance Institute of New York is their willingness to partake in the creative process. 

“You want people who are willing to create with you rather than just present existing repertoire,” she said. 

According to their website, Japanese Folk Dance Institute of New York was formed in 1992 to “research, promote, and keep alive interest in the traditional folk dances of Japan.”

The Japanese folk dance sections of the show will include a combination of new works created by Japanese Folk Dance Institute of New York dancers, as well as traditional folk dances meant to accompany specific songs. 

Fort Wayne Taiko 

Some of the songs in the show will be played by members of Fort Wayne Taiko, a program of FWDC that teaches the traditional Japanese music tradition of taiko, which means “big drum.” 

According to FWDC’s website, “taiko isn’t simply about sound. Its characteristic beat is achieved through choreographed arm movements, as drummers ‘dance’ their sticks from drum to drum.”

This will be the second time this season Fort Wayne Taiko will appear alongside the dancers of FWDC. 

“It was a joy to drum at the (season-opening) Collective Expressions show (in August),” said Sara Sherman, artistic director of Fort Wayne Taiko. “(Fort Wayne) Taiko played a song at the beginning of the second half of the show, then two drummers added live drumming over a song. It was immensely fun, and the dancers were so welcoming.

“We are ecstatic to be a part of the Halloween show, especially since it is about Yōkai, supernatural entities from Japanese folklore.”

Fort Wayne Taiko can also be found playing at community events like Taste of the Arts and the Cherry Blossom Festival. 

“Many times, people come up and tell me that Fort Wayne Taiko is the main reason that the Cherry Blossom is a must-attend event for them,” Sherman said. “The enthusiasm that the audience has … they share that with us. We feel that up on stage.  It makes us want to perform our best and gives us energy.”

For those interested in learning more about taiko, beginner classes are held at FWDC on Thursday evenings from 5:30-6:30 p.m. 

Get Tickets Soon

Shino Shadows will be an entertaining and educational show that will be explore themes as dark as the title sounds. 

“This show tends to get a little spooky,” Kolkman said. “I recommend that all young audience members are accompanied by an adult to enjoy the show.”

If you like your choreography a little on the creepy side, though, this show is definitely for you. 

FWDC’s Halloween shows consistently sell out each year, so you will want to secure your tickets as soon as possible.