(l - r) Tracey Mascolo, director of Student Activities at the College of Saint Elizabeth (CSE), 2 Convent Road, Morristown, NJ, strikes a pose with mime performer Yass Hakoshima of the Yass Hakoshima Mime Theatre; as do Dr. Doris Walker Bennett, CSE assistant professor of Physical Education; and Jason Rodriguez, assistant director of Multicultural Affairs for CSE International and Multicultural Affairs, at the performance of “Breaking Barriers,” on Wednesday, November 15, 2006. (Photo by Courtney Smolen)

Held in Saint Joseph Hall Drama Studio, the program consisted of five-to-six scenes, combining classic mime traditions, the mystery and fatalism of Japanese theatre, and the athleticism of modern dance. Sponsored by CSE Lectures and Concerts Series, the College Activities Board at CSE, International and Multicultural Affairs at CSE, and CSE Physical Education Department, the evening’s performance was one of several artistic events scheduled during this year’s CSE Cultural Awareness Week, November 13 - 17, 2006.

In addition to the mime performance on Wednesday, Mr. Hakoshima also held a special workshop on the art of mime and movement theatre on Thursday, November 16 in the CSE Drama Studio.

The weeklong cultural event included food, art, South Asian hand decorating, and much more to CSE students, faculty and staff.

A choreographer as well as a performer, Mr. Hakoshima has created stage movement for many modern plays, has worked in films and television and, more recently, has collaborated with musicians and sculptors to achieve a synthesis of performing arts. He is the founder of the Yass Hakoshima Mime Theatre, incorporated as Danmari Ltd., and has received awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, the Suntory Foundation, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the Soros Foundation, the Deluxe Foundation and many corporations and individuals. Mr. Hakoshima is now an international favorite, touring from New Zealand to Montreal, and Hong Kong to Berlin.