Session three in day two of the conference showcased contemporary scholars/practitioners engagement with traditional performance genre. Alison Tokita summarized the historical development of Heikyoku and introduced contemporary effort in connecting to this early narrative-ballad. François Rose used precision recording in audio to capture time and color, two critical concepts in Gagaku. Julie Iezzi introduced the creation of a new kyogen play at the Asian Theater Program at the University of Hawaii. All three papers provide insights into the unique historical and cultural background of each genre, and also how it is presented to the contemporary audience.