On August 2, 2011, as part of its social contribution program and in co-operation with the Shiki Theater Company, Canon held Canon Cats School.
Canon Cats School is carried out as a part of education support activities in Kanagawa Prefecture, where Canon Cats Theater is located, and this is the third time it has been held. In collaboration with the Kanagawa Prefectural Board of Education, this time the participants were 30 students belonging to groups specializing in dance of the All Japan High School Athletic Federation.

The school opened with the students enjoying a performance of “Cats” by the Shiki Theater Company actors. After that, seven of the actors, including Hiroshi Muto, who plays leader cat Munkustrap, and Shinya Iwasaki, Eri Ishikuri, Ran Aoi, Reiko Doi, Shinichi Shinjo and Hiroki Tange, served as instructors for Cats School. The students were thrilled to receive guidance directly from actors who had just earlier been on stage. They promptly divided in three groups according to their forte: ballet, jazz dance, hip hop; and practiced the choreography of the distinctive scene opening “Cats.”

Although they only had one hour, as time was limited, since the students all seriously pursue dance routinely, they quickly absorbed the verbal instructions and movements of their teachers and proceeded to master the choreography.

The students gave shouts of joy when, after the practice, the teachers offered the surprise proposal “let’s try dancing on an actual stage.”

Each team presented the fruits of their practice on the Cats Theater stage of their aspirations, with the lighting and sound of an actual performance.

Standing on stage, the students beamed with joy, and the assisting staff gave them loud and unstinting applause.

After the program, the participating students offered us comments such as that, “I am so happy to have been able to receive detailed instruction from people whom I had seen on stage,” “Being allowed to present my performance on this stage will be my most treasured memory ever” and “I most certainly want to dance on stage again someday.”