I had the pleasure of attending the 2010 Classical Japanese Dance Recital by Hanayagi Dance Academy today (Sunday, February 28th). Women and children, young and old, entertained a large crowd at the Asian American Cultural Center on Jollyville Road in Austin.
Below are some pictures from the event. For more pictures, go to my Flickr page.
The Hanayagi Dance Academy is directed by Rokumizu Hanayagi (Chizuko Matsumoto). If you’re interested in learning traditional Japanese dance or folk dance, you can contact Matsumoto-san via e-mail (hanayagi [at] earthlink [dot] com). You can also contact her through the Asian American Cultural Center.
The Japan-America Society of Greater Austin is hosting two incredible cultural events this week, the first of which is its monthly culture salon. This month, the focus will be on the shakuhachi (Japanese end-blown bamboo flute). Shakuhachi player and teacher David Duncavage will be performing and presenting on this instrument.
While the doleful sounds of the shakuhachi are often heard in ensembles nowadays, the Fuke sect of Zen Buddhist monks originally refined this instrument to practice suizen (“blowing meditation”). Duncavage received his Shihan (independent Master’s license) in Zen meditation music after years of study in Kyoto, Japan.
Here’s a sample of someone playing the shakuhachi:
If you’re interested in checking out this free event, join JASGA at 7pm on November 2nd (yes, that’s tonight!) at Casa de Luz (1701 Toomey Rd, Austin, TX). For more information, go the official announcement on JASGA’s website.
I have to say, this was the coolest event I have had the chance to attend since moving to Austin, despite the crappy parking at UT ($10 event parking) and the fact that there weren’t a lot of seats for spectators. The event cost for guests was free. So you can’t beat that.
Here are some photos from the event:
If you didn’t get a chance to attend this year’s taikai, keep your calendar open for next year. Generally, the tournament occurs on the second or third week of October.
Saturday morning was clear and crisp; perfect for getting outside and enjoying an Austin-style Fall day. So I decided to head down to the Austin Shambhala Meditation Center to watch the Austin Kyudo Group practicing the traditional art of Japanese archery.
Led by Craig Thompson, the group meets regularly at the Shambhala Center (located on the [...]
This evening, I presented a lecture on behalf of the Japan-America Society of Greater Austin on the topic of “Anime.” JASGA had asked me a few weeks ago to present on this topic. Initially, I was honored that they would think I was versed enough in this aspect of Japanese entertainment to present to them.
And [...]
I’ve recently been honored by the Japan-America Society of Greater Austin, who have asked me to do a presentation at their October Japanese Culture Salon on the subject of “Anime and Japanese Popular Culture.” So, if you’re in Austin and interested in catching my slide show and presentation, I’ve included the details below.
Since the Austin [...]
Tonight San Jose Taiko performed at the Long Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Austin, Texas. It was a high energy display of some incredible rhythm and coordination. If you ever get a chance to see this group perform, jump at the offer. You will be as impressed as I was, I’m sure.
I’ve [...]
On Monday of this past week, Tsugaru shamisen player Toshie Suzuki performed at Kick Butt Coffee’s World Music Night at The Triangle in Austin. Suzuki-san alternated performances on stage with local jazz band Manteca Beat. (Be sure to swing by their site and listen to some of their music.)
As I’ve mentioned before, the reason I started AustinOtaku.com was to try to make the best of wherever I live, even deep in the heart of Texas. I think this is a pretty good philosophy to have, and in most large cities in the U.S., I think this is possible, even for otaku, to find [...]
Ii tenki desu! Subarashii ne. Upper 70's, sunny with a light breeze in Austin right now. Oh, how I wish I could take the rest of the day offabout 4 hours agofrom Seesmic
