ロンドン- リオ- 東京 パラリンピック開会式のレガシーとは

抄録

Following on from the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Paralympics, this paper reports on the production techniques for the performance of persons with disabilities at major events and procedures for training specialists, which the author developed. In the cultural program “Yokohama Paratriennale,” where the author serves as general director, the author herself became aware of three accessibility-related issues （environment, psychology, and information） in stage production involving people with disabilities, and developed the specialist roles of “access coordinator” and “accompanist” in an effort to address these issues. These specialists perform roles in developing the creative environment and the communication to enable people with disabilities to participate with a sense of confidence.

Attending the flag handover ceremony of the closing ceremony of the Rio 2016 Paralympics with these specialists, the author observed firsthand the difficult challenges of the production procedures for a ceremony that is broadcast live worldwide from a large-scale venue. Before improving techniques and skills in the artistic expression of the cast, choreograph of people with disabilities, the author realized that it was necessary to adopt an approach for developing “physical strength” that would enable them to withstand that environment, and “social skill” that would facilitate cooperation with the large number of staff involved. While incorporating physical training and aerial performance into the training, the author learned about Cirque du Soleil’s social circus program and adopted some of its methods.

Following on from the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Paralympics, this paper reports on the production techniques for the performance of persons with disabilities at major events and procedures for training specialists, which the author developed. In the cultural program “Yokohama Paratriennale,” where the author serves as general director, the author herself became aware of three accessibility-related issues （environment, psychology, and information） in stage production involving people with disabilities, and developed the specialist roles of “access coordinator” and “accompanist” in an effort to address these issues. These specialists perform roles in developing the creative environment and the communication to enable people with disabilities to participate with a sense of confidence.

Attending the flag handover ceremony of the closing ceremony of the Rio 2016 Paralympics with these specialists, the author observed firsthand the difficult challenges of the production procedures for a ceremony that is broadcast live worldwide from a large-scale venue. Before improving techniques and skills in the artistic expression of the cast, choreograph of people with disabilities, the author realized that it was necessary to adopt an approach for developing “physical strength” that would enable them to withstand that environment, and “social skill” that would facilitate cooperation with the large number of staff involved. While incorporating physical training and aerial performance into the training, the author learned about Cirque du Soleil’s social circus program and adopted some of its methods.

While the Games were postponed for one year due to the spread of COVID-19, cast auditions were held for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. In the end, approximately 160 performers with disabilities were able to perform. The experience of cooperation among several thousand members of the cast and staff, was something that extended beyond whether a person is with or without a disability, and is now paving the way for the next step and action within various fields.