So...my last really eventful post (before this past one), was about the Cherry Blossom Festival....and strangely enough, a full year has gone by and we're here again- The Cherry Blossom Festival Ball.
To my surprise, if you type "Cherry Blossom Festival Ball Hawaii" into your Google search window, my blog post from last year comes up 2nd!!! One of the contestants from this year actually mentioned to me that she read my blog post from last year to get an idea of how formal the event is so her boyfriend could dress appropriately. Incidentally, she also also read about my mismatching shoe debacle from last year. =P
But that was not to occur this year!! I checked, double-checked, and triple-checked those shoe bags to ensure that I had the proper shoes with me, and I even came extra prepared with a change of watches, hair gel, toothbrush, and cologne. I was completely ready for the event this time. But before I begin my explanation of the event itself, a little backstory is needed. Gather 'round my children, papa has a story for you.
When I arrived in Hawaii in January one year ago, I was not only greeted by the humid Hawaiian weather, but also a whole group of beautiful young ladies. Okay, okay, so it's not exactly as picture perfect as you are probably imagining, but its not too far from the truth either. On my first evening in Hawaii, I was picked up from the airport and taken straight to taiko practice, where the 55th Cherry Blossom Queen Contestants were receiving an introduction to taiko.
So, one year later, its already come back to that time of year. Starting in January, the new group of 15 Cherry Blossom Queen Contestants began their 10 workshops of taiko training for the opening number of the festival ball. Its really "natsukashii" (Japanese word meaning something close to "nostalgic") to be going through this experience again and to be teaching Sakura Mikoshi (which I admittedly had forgotten despite having helped write it).
The girls began their taiko journey in mid January through a series of weekly Wednesday workshops (10 total) to (in very crash-course fashion) learn some history about taiko, the basics of playing, and learn the piece which they would perform in front of their friends, family, and an audience numbering in the hundreds as the opening number for the Cherry Blossom Festival Ball. The girls were all very dedicated, and great to teach because they were so eager to learn and to improve, even if they would never play taiko again after the end of the workshops. Even though our lessons technically were supposed to go from 8:00pm to 9:15pm or so, we would frequently stay until around 9:45, not because we forced the girls to, but because they wanted to run the piece one more time, or wanted one more chance to get a part right.
The workshops flew by quickly, and before we knew it, it was the end of March and we were rehearsing in the ballroom where the festival ball would be taking place. The festival ball took place at the Sheraton Waikiki, the flagship hotel of the several Sheratons throughout Waikiki, and one of the largest hotels in Waikiki. The ballroom was among the largest in the hotel, with high ceilings, and chandeliers with red accent lighting. The stage was very prominent at the back of the room (and also very wide), and draped with black curtains. It was simple, and even more minimalist than the previous year, but very elegant for the most elegant and grand of Cherry Blossom Festival events.
Now, before I continue any further, I'm sure you're thinking to yourself, "yes, this story is nice, but where are the pictures of the girls?!" Unfortunately my friends, I didn't bring my camera (which has now been replaced with an older version of the model I formally owned) to any of the events or practices, but you can see the contestants on the Cherry Blossom website here
As you can imagine, the girls looked stunning for the evening of the ball. Each of the girls was decked out with professionally done hair and make-up, and had a lineup of western formal evening gowns and Japanese Kimono to wear for the evening. However, despite looking so beautiful, the girls were nervous (and rightfully so given the lineup of things they had ahead of them for the evening). So, before we got on stage for Sakura Mikoshi, I held a short focus session as I had done one year prior to calm the girls and get them mentally prepared for the big evening ahead of them.
After a wait (which seemed like forever) we finally got on stage, the lights went up, the announcer began his introductory speech, and we began the piece. Despite having only had 10 practices to learn and perform the piece, despite their nervousness, despite all of the things that were running through their minds, despite the crazy club-esque lighting going on, and even despite a couple dropped sticks (which were recovered very well), the girls performed beautifully. Everything came together with so much energy and enthusiasm that I can really only say as their teacher that I was proud of them for what they accomplished in such a short time.
It was great getting to know the girls over the course of the 10 weeks, and really see them for than just a pretty face, but as deep people with great ambitions and cute, unique personalities. Its unfortunate that only a select number of them can make it to the court (because I'm rooting for all of them), but for their effort and growth, and I think they all won.
Its been great getting to go through this process a second time, and it'll definitely be something that I'll remember for some time to come (...and not just because I was working with pretty girls...although that does help jog the memory). Congratulations to the new Cherry Blossom Court! ..and for my readers...sorry for the lack of pictures. =P
Showing posts with label Cherry Blossom Festival. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cherry Blossom Festival. Show all posts
Monday, March 24, 2008
Monday, April 2, 2007
The Cherry Blossom Festival Ball
Many months ago I started teaching taiko to the Cherry Blossom Girls as part of the Cherry Blossom Festival and for a performance they would be giving at the opening of the Festival Ball- a black tie affair where the girls would be decked out and the Cherry Blossom Court of 6 would be chosen.
The girls received 10 workshops that were lead by Kelsey, Yoko, myself, and sometimes Sensei- workshops that taught them the basics of playing taiko but were geared heavily toward preparing them for the opening number they would be playing for the festival ball. Kelsey, Yoko, and myself wrote a modified version of a piece called Mikoshi Daiko for the girls and named it "Sakura Mikoshi" in honor of the festival and the girls.
The workshops met on Wednesday evenings...at first just every other Wednesday, and then every Wednesday as the festival ball neared. It was great fun working with the girls and they made quite a bit of progress in those 10 weeks, especially in the last two weeks before their performance. At one point we (and the staff of the ball) were a little concerned about their progress, but they really stepped it up in the end, and like any college student, pulled it all together for the moment it all counted.
Which brings us to the Festival Ball itself.
Held in the Molokai ballroom of the Sheraton Waikiki- the flagship hotel of the numerous Sheratons throughout Waikiki- the event played host to hundreds of guests from around the islands, as well as the mainland, and Japan. The extremely high ceilings adorned with chandeliers coupled with the white tablecloth-laden tables, created a grand atmosphere for the grandest of the Cherry Blossom Festival events.
The stage created for the event was simple, but created a nice backdrop for the girls. Black curtains hung around the stage and along the wings, while contrasting silver branches held strings of silver origami cranes that danced over lights of red, yellow, and blue. A blue Kimono highlighted with a spotlight was laid out high above the stage and just below a large projection screen. There was quite a bit of lighting around the stage which changed colors depending on activity happening on stage and which girl was on stage. Overall, the presentation was quite nice.
That night the girls wore our blue dragon Happi with a pink hachimaki for the event while we wore a special set of costumes created by a famous designer in Hawaii that I have not only never seen before (and didn't know we had) but have only been worn a few times total. The costume was pretty neat looking, with very long MC-Hammer-esque pants and a sleeveless top with the KETE logo in gold in the center. The sides of the top were held together with two pieces of reddish-orange kimono fabric, creating a stark contrast against the black pants and top.
As one would expect, the girls were nervous. I was nervous for them. And if I were in their shoes, I probably would've been hiding in the bathroom. And for good reason.... They had quite an evening lined up ahead of them. Not only did they have to perform an art form they had only 10 practices to learn, but they also had to impress the judges with walks and speeches in Western and Japanese formal wear. All eyes were on them that evening, and to have that much attention on you for 5 hours is really nothing short of (as I would imagine) nerve-racking.
Before the performance, I had all of the girls focus (the same way we would in Stanford Taiko) to help calm everyone's nerves and get everyone in the correct mindset for the performance and the evening ahead. We stood in a circle, eyes closed, holding hands, taking deep breaths. I led the focus, by giving the girls a short, motivational speech about the importance of the evening and the taiko performance, and also how proud myself, Yoko, and Kelsey were of the girls for their progress over the past few weeks and how ready they were for the evening.
And the girls performed wonderfully. All of the worries of the previous weeks just went straight out the window when they went on stage. The girls, as my first taiko teacher Hongo Sensei would say, went for broke- performing with energy and purpose. In fact, I think the girls actually did a better job than KETE that evening. =P For our set, we played Yodan Uchi, a piece from the Oedo Sukeroku Daiko group in Tokyo. And while nothing disastrous happened, three people dropped their sticks during the performance (including myself). The crowd was also a little difficult, and not as responsive as I hoped they would be...which may or may not have been correlated with the fact that we dropped our sticks so many times.
After our performance we changed into nice clothes and watched the event from a table that was right up near the stage. We had to bring our nice clothes with us, and unfortunately the nicest thing I have is a pair of khaki's and a business shirt and tie, so I had my friend Brett (who was visiting me at the time from Arizona...more on that in another post) bring me a suit, shirt, and tie from home. All I had to do was provide the socks and shoes... Yes, that's all I had to do. And I screwed that up. Despite careful planning the night before and remembering to pack my shoes, I actually packed the wrong shoes because they were in little shoe bags. Instead of bringing my black shoes that I wear with slacks, I brought my brown shoes I wear with jeans. So...I was wearing my friend's nice gray suit, black shirt, and white tie with a pair of brown shoes that didn't match in the least bit.
Despite my mismatching shoes, the event was fun to participate in. Complete with a great meal, we also got to see the girls giving speeches and anecdotes about themselves in beautiful western evening wear, and even more beautiful Japanese Kimono. I'm normally not a fan of pageants, but I was particularly fond of this one because I cared about each of the contestants after having the opportunity to get to know them over the past few months. Each person wasn't just a pretty face, but a person that I knew (although not well) and wished the best for.
Unfortunately, knowing the contestants makes the final decisions on who makes the court simultaneously more joyous and painful. I was definitely happy for those who made the court, but also sad for those who didn't. Ultimately, however, the girls gave their best that evening, and as a friend and their teacher, that's really all I could ever ask for. They should definitely be proud of their accomplishments because in my mind, they all already won before the decisions were made.
I'm hoping to keep in contact with the girls after the event, because it's been great getting to know them, I would love to get to know them further. I suppose we'll see what happens...
This post has been a little shy on pictures (in fact...I had none because I forgot my camera), so I hope my elaborate story-telling painted the picture for you. =P
The girls received 10 workshops that were lead by Kelsey, Yoko, myself, and sometimes Sensei- workshops that taught them the basics of playing taiko but were geared heavily toward preparing them for the opening number they would be playing for the festival ball. Kelsey, Yoko, and myself wrote a modified version of a piece called Mikoshi Daiko for the girls and named it "Sakura Mikoshi" in honor of the festival and the girls.
The workshops met on Wednesday evenings...at first just every other Wednesday, and then every Wednesday as the festival ball neared. It was great fun working with the girls and they made quite a bit of progress in those 10 weeks, especially in the last two weeks before their performance. At one point we (and the staff of the ball) were a little concerned about their progress, but they really stepped it up in the end, and like any college student, pulled it all together for the moment it all counted.
Which brings us to the Festival Ball itself.
Held in the Molokai ballroom of the Sheraton Waikiki- the flagship hotel of the numerous Sheratons throughout Waikiki- the event played host to hundreds of guests from around the islands, as well as the mainland, and Japan. The extremely high ceilings adorned with chandeliers coupled with the white tablecloth-laden tables, created a grand atmosphere for the grandest of the Cherry Blossom Festival events.
The stage created for the event was simple, but created a nice backdrop for the girls. Black curtains hung around the stage and along the wings, while contrasting silver branches held strings of silver origami cranes that danced over lights of red, yellow, and blue. A blue Kimono highlighted with a spotlight was laid out high above the stage and just below a large projection screen. There was quite a bit of lighting around the stage which changed colors depending on activity happening on stage and which girl was on stage. Overall, the presentation was quite nice.
That night the girls wore our blue dragon Happi with a pink hachimaki for the event while we wore a special set of costumes created by a famous designer in Hawaii that I have not only never seen before (and didn't know we had) but have only been worn a few times total. The costume was pretty neat looking, with very long MC-Hammer-esque pants and a sleeveless top with the KETE logo in gold in the center. The sides of the top were held together with two pieces of reddish-orange kimono fabric, creating a stark contrast against the black pants and top.
As one would expect, the girls were nervous. I was nervous for them. And if I were in their shoes, I probably would've been hiding in the bathroom. And for good reason.... They had quite an evening lined up ahead of them. Not only did they have to perform an art form they had only 10 practices to learn, but they also had to impress the judges with walks and speeches in Western and Japanese formal wear. All eyes were on them that evening, and to have that much attention on you for 5 hours is really nothing short of (as I would imagine) nerve-racking.
Before the performance, I had all of the girls focus (the same way we would in Stanford Taiko) to help calm everyone's nerves and get everyone in the correct mindset for the performance and the evening ahead. We stood in a circle, eyes closed, holding hands, taking deep breaths. I led the focus, by giving the girls a short, motivational speech about the importance of the evening and the taiko performance, and also how proud myself, Yoko, and Kelsey were of the girls for their progress over the past few weeks and how ready they were for the evening.
And the girls performed wonderfully. All of the worries of the previous weeks just went straight out the window when they went on stage. The girls, as my first taiko teacher Hongo Sensei would say, went for broke- performing with energy and purpose. In fact, I think the girls actually did a better job than KETE that evening. =P For our set, we played Yodan Uchi, a piece from the Oedo Sukeroku Daiko group in Tokyo. And while nothing disastrous happened, three people dropped their sticks during the performance (including myself). The crowd was also a little difficult, and not as responsive as I hoped they would be...which may or may not have been correlated with the fact that we dropped our sticks so many times.
After our performance we changed into nice clothes and watched the event from a table that was right up near the stage. We had to bring our nice clothes with us, and unfortunately the nicest thing I have is a pair of khaki's and a business shirt and tie, so I had my friend Brett (who was visiting me at the time from Arizona...more on that in another post) bring me a suit, shirt, and tie from home. All I had to do was provide the socks and shoes... Yes, that's all I had to do. And I screwed that up. Despite careful planning the night before and remembering to pack my shoes, I actually packed the wrong shoes because they were in little shoe bags. Instead of bringing my black shoes that I wear with slacks, I brought my brown shoes I wear with jeans. So...I was wearing my friend's nice gray suit, black shirt, and white tie with a pair of brown shoes that didn't match in the least bit.
Despite my mismatching shoes, the event was fun to participate in. Complete with a great meal, we also got to see the girls giving speeches and anecdotes about themselves in beautiful western evening wear, and even more beautiful Japanese Kimono. I'm normally not a fan of pageants, but I was particularly fond of this one because I cared about each of the contestants after having the opportunity to get to know them over the past few months. Each person wasn't just a pretty face, but a person that I knew (although not well) and wished the best for.
Unfortunately, knowing the contestants makes the final decisions on who makes the court simultaneously more joyous and painful. I was definitely happy for those who made the court, but also sad for those who didn't. Ultimately, however, the girls gave their best that evening, and as a friend and their teacher, that's really all I could ever ask for. They should definitely be proud of their accomplishments because in my mind, they all already won before the decisions were made.
I'm hoping to keep in contact with the girls after the event, because it's been great getting to know them, I would love to get to know them further. I suppose we'll see what happens...
This post has been a little shy on pictures (in fact...I had none because I forgot my camera), so I hope my elaborate story-telling painted the picture for you. =P
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Cherry Blossom Girls
So, paradise just keeps getting better and better. I found out very recently that myself, Kelsey, and Yoko (the three fellowship recipients) will be leading taiko workshops for Hawaii's Annual Cherry Blossom Festival. Now...the important thing is who these workshops are for...they're for the Cherry Blossom Festival pageant contestants!! Yes, that means I get to be with a group of fine young ladies (if you'd like to see them, click here ) in a series of workshops teaching them how to play taiko for a performance they are doing at the opening of the Cherry Blossom Festival Ball, where one of them will be crowned queen of the event. We'll be composing a simple song for them, and be teaching them the song and the basics of playing taiko over a series of 9 workshops (the first of which was this evening) up until the event at the end of March. Normally Endo Sensei leads these practices, but the responsibility was given to us. Believe me, I'm not complaining in the least bit. :)
So, the first workshop was tonight (each is an hour and a half long), and it was fun getting to teach them. I definitely enjoy teaching and seeing other people have fun doing what I enjoy doing so much (especially if they're cute girls. =P ). Most of them seem to be enjoying themselves, and although they feel and look a little awkward now, they'll hopefully all be comfortable with what they're doing by the end of these workshops. I'm definitely eager to see how this all turns out, and to see what we can accomplish until their performance.
And NO, I'm not allowed to date any of them until after the Cherry Blossom Ball. =\ And NO, that's not the reason why I volunteered to lead these workshops anyway. =P
A short post, but if this isn't making you jealous, my next post will...
So, the first workshop was tonight (each is an hour and a half long), and it was fun getting to teach them. I definitely enjoy teaching and seeing other people have fun doing what I enjoy doing so much (especially if they're cute girls. =P ). Most of them seem to be enjoying themselves, and although they feel and look a little awkward now, they'll hopefully all be comfortable with what they're doing by the end of these workshops. I'm definitely eager to see how this all turns out, and to see what we can accomplish until their performance.
And NO, I'm not allowed to date any of them until after the Cherry Blossom Ball. =\ And NO, that's not the reason why I volunteered to lead these workshops anyway. =P
A short post, but if this isn't making you jealous, my next post will...
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