Random Talks

Classic Edo magic, known as tezuma, is the captivating integration of illusion, traditional Japanese acting, musical performance, costumes and stories

When he was just 25, Yoshiharu Habu became the only player ever to simultaneously seize all seven titles of the ancient board game known as shogi. He’

At its root, puppet theater addresses issues of identity and existence, as puppets move with striking speed from lifeless object to mythic icon, raisi

Shizuka Yabuuchi has fused rhythmic gymnastics, dance and magic to conjure up an entirely new style of performance art. Shizuka began exploring her ow

Barry Eisler has a much higher profile now than he ever did as a spy for the CIA or in his subsequent incarnation as an intellectual property lawyer a

After a long training of classical ballet from her childhood, YUZUKI Megumi became a professional dancer at the age of 19. Other than ballet, she has

Katsumi Sakakura expresses his art through a combination of elements characteristic of traditional Japanese culture—movement, rhythm and spirit.

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-much-do… What color is a mirror? How much does a video weigh? Michael Stevens, creator of the po

The source of Taketeru Kudo’s combustive physical artistry lies in a never-fulfilled quest to discover the core of human existence. His expressionist,

Ryutaro Kaneko knows the booming, heart-pounding rhythms a taiko drum can produce: he toured the world as a central performer of famed drum troupe Kod

Naima Mora reached international fame and broke into the world of high fashion modeling after winning the title of America’s Next Top Model (200

A zany kingdom inhabited by lithe denizens in lush, unearthly plumage. A troupe of master acrobats, mimes, comics and storytellers offering vignettes

LJ Rich has a remarkable and rare condition called synaesthesia. A kind of ‘mingling of the senses’ that can manifest itself in a number o

Sometimes the libretto to a life is already written. John Ken Nuzzo was a university business major in California before he seriously contemplated a p

Ever wondered why you’re happy, or how to get that way? Five years ago, filmmaker Eiji Han Shimizu and director Roko Belic began traveling around the

Rome Kanda approaches life like a samurai— head-on and with unwavering intensity. After moving to the U.S., the Osaka native soon found his calling as