Blog for The Okinawa Cultural Association of Texas

Lily Choir Workshop - A Royal Reunion

It just had to be a day where the Chinese ancestor’s from the Ming Dynasty reunited with the Okinawan ancestor’s from the Ryukyu Kingdom; a reunion that took place in Texas on September 17, 2011 at the Sound Box Dance Studio; although, it didn’t seem like a reunion for those in attendance because they had never met before.

In the international scheme of things Shenzhen China and Houston Texas USA are sister cities.  So when the world renowned Lily Choir form Shenzhen was planning a tour of the USA, performing in Houston seemed almost inevitable.  Well, that and the fact Worldwide Stage, Inc. who sponsored the tour is also located in Houston.

As a break from the grind of touring; RMDTexas was more that happy to provide the members a little Saturday afternoon diversion with a fun filled Eisa Workshop.

After performing Kudaka for the choir, so they could get an idea of what they were going to learn, instruction began.

They started with the basic Eisa moves and positions.  Then moved on to learning the first eight bars of the routine, then the next eight and putting them together; continuing in that manner they worked their way thought the entire routine in a surprisingly short amount of time.  The members of RMDTexas were very excited to see how fast their new Eisa co-hearts from China had pick-up the dance and learned an entire routine.

Here is the video of RMDTexas and the Lily Choir performing Kudaka together for the first time.  Although, with the instant camaraderie felt between the two groups and the ease in which the routine was taught and learned, one might wonder; was this the first time? 

After the workshop, as the joyous sounds of laughter and conversation filed the room; the big picture of what was happening here started to become a little clearer.  And with that realization one began to understand that, indeed, there was a reunion of a truly royal nature taking place that day; but it wasn’t between those in attendance.  The reunion was between the two cultures represented by those in attendance; two cultures that had first forged a bond almost a thousand years ago; a bond in which China’s Ming Dynasty recognized the autonomy of the Ryukyu Kingdom and gave them the support needed for the Ryukyu Islands to become a strong independent seafaring nation.  In this the Ryukyu Kingdom was able to find its place in the world as a bridge between all nations.
The bond forged all those years ago was so strong that even today, almost a thousand years later; its descendants still carry within their cultural DNA an affinity for each other.  Making collaborations between two groups of total strangers, like this one, seem as if they have been working together for a thousand year - which, in a way, they have.

(To see all the pictures from the workshop, Go to the “Lily Choir Workshop” Photo Album on the sidebar.)

Eisa in the Park

If one goes to Arthur Story Park in Houston Texas on a weekday afternoon they will be treated to a pleasant diversion from the everyday big city life; nice green wooded expanses with large stretches of grass; several play area for kids to swing, slide and climb; gazebo’s for social gatherings; jogging/walking paths around a large lake that provides seasonal lodging for a host of migratory water foul.  One is also enveloped in the sounds of nature that usually accompany these visual pleasantries; birds chirping in the trees, quacking of ducks on the pond and the laugher of kids playing all throughout the park.

But on Wednesday evening, October 5th 2011, the urban jungle refugees gathered in Arthur Story Park were surprised by a new sight and sound.  Sights and sounds that did not convey the essence of nature’s tranquility; but, instead, the excitement of experiencing the multi-cultural diversity one finds in Houston.  In this case it was the sights and sound of Okinawa Eisa drum and dance.

At the last minuet, RMDTexas was given a chance to submit a video to be included as part of the opening ceremonies of the 5th Unchinanchu Festival.  Since this was for the Unchinanchu Festival, Tomoe-san, the director, wanted to do something a little more special than just record the video at the dojo.  So, the morning of the shoot, she secured permission to record the video in Arthur Story Park.

That evening in the park around six pm; amongst the tee shirts, tennis shoe and jogging shorts appeared a lone young lady dressed in the Chinese style black pants and shirt of Ryukyukoku Matsuri Diako.  With long straight black hair pulled back into a pony tail, red sash around her waist, gold ribbon head band and big red O-Daiko slung over her shoulder, her bright white jikatabi’s maintained a steady walking pace as she headed towards the duck pond.  The assemblage of the RMDTexas troupe had begun.

Within the next fifteen minutes most of the members had arrived; the sound equipment was being set up and all drums were stacked on a picnic table.  Everyone shared a nervous anticipation as they started to figure just exactly how to shoot the video.  You see; because of the late notice, they had only had a week to learn the routine.  The members knew what to do individually, but up to this point they had only two sessions to work as an ensemble.

But the lack of preparation was not the biggest challenge facing RMDTexas that evening.  One stipulation the parks officials set for being able to use the park was that there could not be any drum playing until 7:00 PM.  And that evening the sun was setting at 7:13 PM.  They did as much practicing as they could without using their drums.

Seven O’clock approached and they still weren’t comfortable with how things were going.  After all, this video was going to be shown at the biggest event for all expatriate Okinawans in the last five years.

Unfortunately, the last rays of sunlight filtering through the trees at Arthur Story Park that evening just did not provide enough light to make a suitable video.

 

Fortunately though, the lights in the gazebo did!!!

 

RMDTexas was faced with a lot of challenges in making this video, from having only one week for preparation to just 13 minutes of light for filming.  But RMDTexas loves to take on overwhelming challenges.  By the end of the evening everyone was able to say; no matter how the video turns out or whether or not it gets shown at the Festival, we took on the challenge and did the very best we could.

The payoff for RMDTexas that evening was seeing the crowd of people that gathered to watch their efforts in Arthur Story Park - just everyday Houstonians who decided to take their family to the park and relax a little.  In return they received the surprise of seeing the Joy of Okinawan Eisa drum and dance right in there own neighborhood.

RMDTexas, Back to Traditional Eisa - Japan Festival 2011

During the O-Bon festival, Eisa drum and dance groups’ march throughout the streets of the towns and villages in Okinawa; stopping and performing at individual homes to welcome the ancestors that have come back to visit.  For the first time in Houston, the people at the 2011 Japan Festival experienced the trill of hearing the rhythmic pounding of Eisa drums off in the distant... getting closer.  At the festival that day, not being able to see through the crowds but hearing the drums getting closer and closer, your pulse would quicken and as the sound of the drums grew louder and louder your body start to tingle.  As the drum reached a fever pitch in you ears you excitedly ask, “What is that, what’s going on?”  Then in an instant, the crowd parts, and there you see an Eisa procession, coming right at you.

Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko is a high powered performance group basically choreographed for stage performances.  But the tradition of Eisa processions at festivals runs deep in the hearts of all Okinawans, no matter where they might end up in this world.  The members of RMDTexas had wanted to get back to this traditional Eisa for years.  They found the 2011 Japan Festival a perfect place to start.

When it came time for their performance at the Japan Festival, RMDTexas gathered on the other end of Hermann part from the stage.  As the audience at the stage end of the park started to settle down and time for the performance came, the music started but the stage remained empty.  After a few seconds of watching an empty stage with music playing, the audience started looking around with puzzled looks on their faces. 
 

Then one of the ladies in the back heard the O-Daiko drums pounded in the distance.  She stood, turned around and said there they are.  As others stood and turned they saw RMDT marching beside the long reflection pond, coming towards them from the other side of the park.  In double file, with their black, red and yellow RMD uniforms in the sunlight, high stepping white jikatabi shoes and the brightly kimonoed dancing ladies following, they were a sight to behold.

During the procession, and in sync with the music playing on stage, they came to a stop and performed a number for the people who had gathered  around.  Then they started marching again.  Big O-Daiko drums pounding out an hypnotic cadence, white jikatabi’s flashing in the sunlight and serious demeanor of the individual members gave RMDTexas a marching presence that no one was going to get in the way of.

In keeping with the tradition in Okinawa of stopping to perform at homes, RMDT make to two more stops to perform for their growing entourage before marching their way up to the main stage.  The crowd, being only a few feet away as the procession passed, was able to feel the full power and majesty of the big booming O-Daiko.

Having the pretty kimono dancing ladies at the end was an absolutely perfect way to finish off the procession.  People loved it. Several native Okinawans came up afterward to say, "We felt like we were in Okinawa. We could feel real Okinawa right here in Texas."
 

 
Once on stage, RMDTexas continued to thrill their audience with the energetic style of Eisa Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko is known for.  Kudaka, Tenyo, Mirukumunari, Kamigami no uta, Shichigatsu Eisa Machikantyi, Sanshin no hana, Nenju Kuduchi, Chunjun nangari, Kazeno yuibito were all performed during the two day span of the Festival.
 

In this year’s festival, RMDTexas rose to new levels of Eisa performance.  In combining the traditional Eisa procession with Eisa dancing ladies and live sanshin playing, Houston’s Japan Festival was treated to a sample of why the Ryukyu’s were known as the Islands of Song and Dance.

To find out about the activities for OCATexas and RMDTexas during Japan Festival 2011 please see;
OCATexas - Japan Festival 2011

A special thanks to our contributing photographers;
Michael Shum - Michael Shum's photostream
Isidro Urena - Izildur.'s photostream
Allison - allison_b216's photostream
Kelly - K D T's photostream  
Alter Ego 1975's photostream

http://www.flickr.com/photos/alterego1975

Road Trip - Day One

As their ancestors before them, a small troupe of descendants from the Ryukyu Kingdom ventured out into the surrounding seas to practice the spirit of “Geon”.  But instead of using boats, as their ancestors, they used cars because these modern day Okinawans were in the middle of Texas.

On February 18, 2011, RMDTexas was honored to be invited as special guest artist to perform with the Rockport-Fulton Middle School Buccaneer Band for their concert event entitled Asian Fantasy.
 
Rockport, Texas is a vibrant small Gulf Coast Texas town widely known as an outstanding fishing and recreational destination.  About 180 miles southwest of Houston (three hours by car) this charming little fishing village is as “American” as you can get.  Mom & Pop stores lining the streets, Texas and American flags displayed all over and everyone eats apple pie on a regular basis.

There were several challenges facing RMDT in this performance.  First was trying to figure out exactly how to set up on a stage along with a 50 to 60 piece middle school concert band.

Another; there was five groups scheduled to perform, with RMDT as the third and part of the fifth.  Being a high school auditorium there wasn’t enough room backstage for 20 or so Eisa dancers carrying drums to hang-out.  So it was the parking lot behind the auditorium for ome last minuet refinements and to await their turn.

Now in Okinawa, seeing Eisa dancers in the streets at night is common; especially during O-Bon and the Eisa Pageant.  But in small town Texas… there must have been quite a few heads turning as people drove by. 

The pre-performance circle meeting took on a special reverence that evening in the parking lot behind Martha Luigi Auditorium.   The chance to go deep in the heart of Texas culture and share the Okinawa Joy of Eisa was something RMDTexas took very seriously.
Even the Okinawa Ancient Ancestors looking on that evening must have been nervous… and also proud in watching their descendants as they prepared to venture out as a bridge between cultures.
The last number of the evening was a combination of all four groups; Gold Band, Percussion Ensemble, Green Band with Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko in front for a performance of a brand new publication, Kitsune: The Fox Spirits. 

The Texas people proved to be as big hearted as the Okinawans and just loved the performance; giving an extended standing ovation to all in appreciation for their efforts.

*     *     *     *     *
A special thanks for some wonderful people to work with;
Kenneth Thurman, Bandmaster
Ryan Thornberry, Associate Bandmaster
Leland P. Knapp, Director of Bands
Aransas County Independent School District
Website: rfms.acisd.org, click “Fine Arts” then choose “Band”

BUT WAIT!!! 
That’s only the beginning of this first night On the Road for Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko-Texas Branch.

Faifoo Café, one of the sponsors for the concert, invited RMDTexas over for a full course buffet and do a little more performing after the concert.

Figuring out the logistics of performing in a place that is use to serving egg rolls instead of Eisa dance took a little time. But the patrons were all happy to relocate into one section as RMD took over the rest of the restaurant.  After ward, everyone was all treated to some very fine Vietnamese Cuisine.

After the meal everyone met up at the Lighthouse Inn at Aransas Bay where rooms were provided for RMDT first night on the road.  The next day of the Road Trip was a very big day for the classical dance side of the Okinawa Cultural Association of Texas.  Yuri-san was making her debut performance with Myagi Ryu NoSho Kai.  So bright and early the next morning everyone would go back into the cars for the three hour drive to Austin. 

But for now it was time to chill.  All interested gathered in the room designated for a party, reflected on the great first day of the Road Trip and talked until the wee hours of the morning about all the wonderful things RMDTexas was going to do in the future.

Houston Loves Eisa

Smiling faces, light-hearted spirits and cheerful admiration is the general disposition of Houstonian’s after watching Eisa dancing by the Ryukyukoku Matsuri Diako of Texas – even though most of them can’t pronounce it.  RMDTexas they can handle and this name is spoken quite often in Houston when anyone needs entertainment for an event.

In 2010 RMDTexas was appreciated by a diverse range of organizations.  Political, business, education and social gatherings all participated in the joy of RMD’s style of festival dancing in 2010.

Of particular pride is the fact that Houston’s city leaders have become rather fond of using the high stepping drum pounding rhythms of Okinawa Eisa to enhance several of their favorite events.  The one with the highest visibility in the Houston scene would have to be the World Trade Soiree Gala.  A mix of city leaders, international businesses and the high society of Houston provided the interesting challenge of performing on a dance floor in the main ballroom of one of Houston’s premier hotels.  The blog entry “World Trade Soiree Gala” contains the story and pictures for that performance.  (also see Photo Albums)

Other events covered in previous blog entries were RMDT’s performance at Houston’s Kid’s Day celebration in “Okinawa Drums along Buffalo Bayou”.  (also see Photo Albums)

”… it’s more like a village" is an introspective look at RMDT as one of the younger members found her back against the wall in connection with a spur of the moment performance at her high school.  But several individual members of RMDT pulled together to help her out.

 “Eisa Pageant – a case for ruby slippers” is about the event most dear to the hearts of RMDT; the Eisa Pageants live simulcast performance from Okinawa.  This also tells the story of the growing pains RMDT experienced in only their second year of existence.

Unfortunately, with this blog only starting in July of 2010 there have been too many performances to write about individually.  But what's below should provide you a look at some of those.

The Japan Festival is probably the biggest event of the year for RMDT.  It  might not be the biggest festival in Houston but it is considered to be Best Festival in Houston.  The Japanese culture was celebrated with RMDTexas performing on both days of the festival.  (facebook picture album)

The September Concert is another event favored by city leaders.  This performance held the unique challenge of being in a small lecture auditorium on the campus of the University of St. Thomas.  The dressing room was an adjacent hallway and the stage they had to perform on wasn’t much bigger.  But RMD’s leader came up with an adequate solution by having some of the O Diako drummers positioned in the isle’s along both sides of the auditorium.  A truly “surround sound” performance for the audience… and they loved it.

Grand Taiko Concert – In the annual feature performance of Houston’s most popular Japanese performing group Kaminari Taiko, RMD was pleased to provide the pre-show performance for two nights of concerts.  With an audience of over 20,000 OTaiko enthusiasts, Eisa dancing, RMD style, won over new fans while offering RMDT the experience of performing in the professional stage show atmosphere of Houston’s Miller Outdoor Theatre.

The Fort Bend International Festival is a big outdoor festival presented by the Fort Bend Education Foundation every year at Sugar Land Town Square.  RMDT has been invited for the last two years and was proud to be part of the multi-cultural event.

The Dragon Boat Regatta is another cultural celebration that loves Eisa and always makes a point to end the performance segment of the festivities with RMDTexas.  This year they had the added bonus of seeing some memebers of the kids class step out onto the stage for the first time.

Diversity Fair - Even the world renowned Texas Medical Center holds a place for RMDTexas to help celebrate their cultural events.  With a student body representing 62 countries, The University of Texas School of Public Health (UTSPH) celebrated its multicultural heritage with the second annual Diversity Fair.  And they choose to close this event with the excitement of Eisa.

As wonderful and thrilling as all of the performances for 2010 were, it was to be the last performance that provided the most challenging and strangest situation of the year - also the one that was the most satisfying to RMDTexas.  Amongst the cubicles of the Satake Corporation, with people crammed in the isle ways and peeking over cubicles walls, RMD strutted their stuff in the confines of a corporate office.  With bachi’s flying dangerously close to the heads of adjacent dancers, sometimes even people in the audience, RMDT was keenly aware of the limited space and thanks to their skill no injuries occurred. 

Being the Stake Corporate Year-End party all were in a merry mood.  Especially since the “merriment” started flowing several hour before the performance.  In the end it was the closeness of audience and performers that set this one on a different plane from the other performances.  During the audience participation part of the last song, audience and dancers joyously intermingled.  With the audience members pounding drums and doing their version of the dance moves along side RMD dancers the whole thing took on a “Carnival” like atmosphere reminiscent of Rio de Janeiro.

The above only covers part of RMDT’s 2010 performance schedule – there were some 22 in total.  They even had several invitations at the end of the year they just couldn’t fit in.  But now that the OCAT Blog is up and going hopefully we can provide a more up to date picture in the future.  And just to give you a sneak peek of that future; in 2011 RMDTexas is expanding it boundaries and going on the road :D

But you will just have to come back here next year to find out more about that.  And we DO hope you come back :)

Have a great New Year everyone!!!!!!!!!!!

…it’s more like a village

One evening in late August 2010 an “OCAT members” email urgently sped through the internet.  An unexpected RMD performance came up that had one of the members backed into a corner and she was desperately looking for help. 

At that point RMDTexas had been totally focused on preparing for their biggest performance of the year.  It was to be just a 20 minute pre-show performance for Kaminari Taiko of Houston’s big concert event at Houston Miller Outdoor Theatre but the audience was expected to be huge.  The little 20 minuet segment provided a great opportunity to connect with an audience of 20,000 people.  For two years RMDTexas had been working to build a reputation of their own through performances such as the pre-show for Kaminari Taiko of Houston.  The email speeding through the internet that evening was proof their efforts were staring to pay off. 

The Japanese language teacher of a RMD member in high school had seen them perform and liked what she saw.  So when the high school was giving a Sayonara Party for the departing Japanese exchange students she thought of RMDTexas for the entertainment - at the last minuet of course.  The teacher was understanding of the time frame though and told Megan if she couldn’t get anyone else from RMDTexas she could perform by herself.  Apparently the teacher didn’t understand that Eisa is an ensemble dance form and would not be near as exciting with just one person dancing.  Megan did understand this and was franticly trying to solicit as much help as she could get.

The first obstacle encountered was that the leader of RMDTexas and assistant-leader were not available for that evening.  So the members who volunteered would be on their own as far as putting the performance together.  But there is something special about being part of Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko; and it probably holds true for all the branches throughout the worldwide organization. 

When you go to any RMD performance, or practice, or function; you will not see just dancers.  There is always a flurry of activity surrounding the dancing; kids running and playing, adults cheerfully visiting.  You see; for as long as it has existed, the Eisa dance has been about the celebration of family.  So the families of the individual RMD members have also started to mix.  All the kids know all of the adults; all of the adults know all of the kids… and they all share in a mutual respect for each other.  So in that way RMD Texas, or even the Okinawa Cultural Association of Texas as a whole, is more like a village than just a dance troupe or cultural organization.  Everyone looks out for each other and is always willing to pitch in and help when they can.

The email went out on the 26th of August for a 30th performance and within that short period five members made time in their busy schedules to help out.  Being   thrown together a the last minuet  it wasn’t a perfect performance but the Sensei was happy, the students all enjoyed the performance and,  most of all, Megan had a big smile of relief on her face because she didn’t have to perform solo.

Photos by
Dave Tolle & Mrs. Forough Danesh

World Trade Soiree Gala & RMDTexas

Always ready to take advantage of any opportunity to share the joy of Eisa dancing with the Texas  community RMDTexas was thrilled when asked to perform at the 2010 World Trade Soiree Gala.  This is a premier social event sponsored by the Greater Houston Partnership where Houston’s most prestigious business and political leaders come together for an evening of camaraderie and merriment.  Held at the prestigious  Hotel ZaZa of Houston everyone in RMDTexas was looking forward to performing. 

On a dance floor in the middle of the main ballroom Hotel ZaZa provided a unique performing venue.  At 5pm the day of the performance, RMDTexas was given thirty minutes to check out the ballroom and block out the numbers to be performed.  Then it was up to an eleventh floor meeting room set up as a staging area for all the performing groups to wait and get ready.   A very nice sandwich layout was provided for supper.  RMD’s performance started at 8:45pm so they had plenty of time to eat, get ready and share in a little camaraderie and merriment of their own.

Unexpectedly, it was the hallways into the ballroom that provided the biggest challenge of the performance.  Navigating the narrow hotel throughways full of revealers was a bit tight for the ones playing the O-Daiko drums.  And the Hatamochi (flag holder) - with ten foot flag poles, eight foot ceiling and people packed all around; it was almost a nightmare.  Several people ended up poked, prodded and almost tripped but no one was hurt and they all took it as just part of the fun of the evening.

There was one benefit to the confined situation.  One of the more politically astute members noticed the Mayor of Houston in the crowd.  She took the opportunity to make her way over and tell the Mayor that she was doing a great job.  Ever ready to shake the hand of a constituent the Mayor stopped and said thank you.  Then noticing the costume asked our member if she was performing.  Ever ready to broaden RMD’s audience, the member told the Mayor why yes; at 8:45 with Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko.  Smiling, the Mayor said she would be sure to watch – and she did.

RMDTexas was on fire that night and the ballroom atmosphere provided the spark – performing under the spotlights of a darkened ballroom with chandelier’s twinkling overhead.  The audience surrounded the dancers and their close proximity made it feel as if they were part of the performance.  With the synchronized movements of the colorful costumes, booming sounds of the O-Daiko drums pounding on their chests and shouts of Hi-Ya-Sa-Sa filling their ears everyone was swept up into the joy of Eisa dancing that night.

 
(Pictures of the performance posted on the Greater Houston Partnership website can be also found in our Photo Album - RMD @ World Trade Soiree Gala.)

Eisa Pageant 2010 - a case for ruby slippers.

If there was to be a theme for RMD Texas’s 2010 performance seasons it would have to be growing pains. 2009 was the first time they took part in the world wide simulcast performance from Okinawa of the Eisa Pageant.  It was only the second year of RMD Texas’s existence and things were going great; requests to perform were steadily growing and it seemed like every time they inquired about performing at a certain venue they were welcomed with open arms.  RMD Texas found them selves on the fast tract to gaining notoriety and slipped into the rather lazy attitude that this is how things were always going to be.

Not being overly concerned; finding a venue for their 2010 Eisa Pageant performance was not high on the priority list as 2010 rolled around.  In fact, several months of 2010 had passed before they even turned their attention to the matter.  After all, in 2009 they performed at RA Sushi @ City Centre, an upscale bar and eatery in a very fashionable part of Houston.  They just took it for granted performing there this year would be no problem.

RMD Texas’s feeling of being on the fast track came to an end when they found out performing at RA Sushi @ City Centre would not be possible.  A little dazed at the rejection their minds became frantic in trying to think of a place to perform.  They only found more rejections with the first few inquiries of alternate places to perform.  Reality then started to sink in that things would not always be so easy and to grow from this point on would take a little more pain in effort.

As the weeks became fewer before the 2010 Eisa Pageant performance RMD Texas gave into the notion of renting a place to perform.  But here rejections turn into inadequacies.  Large empty rooms with no amenities or performing facilities seemed a little beak and dismal compared to performing at an already established restaurant like RA Sushi @ City Centre.  Plus, at a restaurant an audience was guaranteed.  Performing at a rented facility would double the promotional work it would take to get an audience to show up.

It was the crafty mind of RMD’s leader that surmised the Dojo in which they practiced was a lot better than anything they could afford to rent.  But this thought left RMD Texas’s spirits a little deflated.  They felt the only way to spread the joy of Eisa was go out into the world; staying at home would be boring and no one would come to see the performance.  Like Dorothy dreamed of in the Wizard of OZ they wanted to go over the rainbow where happy little bluebirds fly and perform in some really big exciting place.  But reality prevailed and just two weeks before the event the IMA Shotokan Dojo was announced as the venue for RMD Texas’s 2010 Eisa Pageant Performance.

 

There was a lilt in everyone's step, a twinkle of excitement in their eye’s as RMD Texas started getting ready for the performance that evening.  They were now comfortable with the fact that the performance would take place in the Dojo but apprehension as to how many people would actually show up was still present.  They reassured each other by saying that no matter what they were in the comfort of their home and would still be part of a the Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko worldwide simulcast performance.  Everyone was thrilled about that.

Once everyone was dressed it was time to eat.  And there was plenty of great food  to go around.

 

After making their rounds at the tables it was time to relax and enjoy each others company.

With the live feed from Okinawa on the screen the time had come to start working on coordinating the technical aspects of the simulcast performance.  Interesting thing here is that it was the middle of the night in Texas, and the middle of the next day in Okinawa.  

Part of the simulcast portion of the evening was a live interview via the internet with the President of Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko in Okinawa and 27 of the branch leader from all over the world.  Above; the Texas branch gathers around Tomoe, their leader, as she converses with Okinawa and the other branches. 
Just as interesting as watching the live feed from Okinawa was talking with other branches.  Even though Okinawa and Texas was split into night and day, they were both in the middle of the hot summertime - where as the South American branches were in the middle of winter and cold.

The simulcast show of the festivities was scheduled to start at 12 noon Okinawa time; that meant 11pm Texas time.  So RMD Texas decided to offer a pre-show for those audience members who did not wish to stay up until it was 12 noon in Okinawa.  They had scheduled this for 9:30.

 

As the pre-show performance approached, the Dojo’s lobby saw only a few RMD family members and friends start to congregate.  Tomoe keep her troops emotions high by reminding them that this was a special night for all the Ryukyukoku Maturi Daiko branches around the world.  Even if they ended up giving the performance just for themselves, it needed to be the best show they could possibly do in honor of all their fellow RMD co-hearts around the world. 

But in the final minuets before the pre-show, the front door of the Dojo just kept opening as more and more people came in.  By the time the show started the Dojo’s lobby was packed and included such dignitaries as the Consul General of Japan and his wife.

As the enthralled audience spilled out onto the dance floor to find suitable seating RMD’s performance was electric.  With the added incentive of a great crowd the Eisa dancers put all they had into giving the best show they could.

 

At one point the audience became so enlivened that they rose from their sets and danced along with the performance - at the behest of Tomoe herself that is.

The pre-show and the Dojo as a performance venue were both a rousing success.  As RMD Texas mingled with their audience afterward the energy levels remained high for this was only the first part of the evening’s activities.

 

Now came the most important time for the individual members of Ryukyu Matsuri Daiko of Texas.  You see; Ryukyu was the name of the place now known as Okinawa for hundreds of years before it became part of Japan.  And as proud as the people that make up RMD Texas are of being Japanese they are just as proud of their pre-Japanese heritage. 

This simulcast performance gave the member’s born and raised in Okinawa a chance to physically reconnect with the family and heritage of their homeland.  It also gave them a chance to physically open new connections and share a part of their soul with the family and heritage they now have in Texas - a very important and meaningful time for all.

The day that had started so long ago - with converting the Dojo into a performance venue; getting dressed and ready to perform; organizing and serving the meal; performing a pre-show - was now reaching its long awaited climax.   As 12 noon Okinawa time approached, 11pm the night before in Texas, butterflies started to flutter in their bellies and RMD Texas’s hearts pounded a little stronger as they got ready to perform.  Although this time it was not as for the audience… it was for themselves. 

As the music and video broadcast live from Okinawa started, so did all the RMD troops in

Brazil, Argentine, Peru, Bolivia, Hawaii, Los Angeles, Miyagi, Nagano, Fukui, Kantou Area, Gifu, Aichi, Gifu Nishino, Shiga, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, Ehime, Tokushima, Hiroshima, Kyushu Area, Tanegashima, Okinoerabu, Miyako Island, Yaeyama and Texas. 

27 locations with a total of 38 branches performing together all over the world.  Not very spectacular at any one location, but in the hearts and minds of the performers it was truly priceless.

Photo’s of the simulcast performance by Michael Shum

 

After the performance, as the patrons started going out the front door of the Dojo a sense of satisfaction followed them at being able to have been part of an event such as this.

And when the Ryukyu Matsuri Daiko Branch of Texas gathered for their tradition circle meeting to close out the evening they were tried, happy, exhausted and excited that the 2010 Eisa Pageant turned out so well, even though it was in the simple little Dojo where they practice.

Growing pains… yes, with the lessons learned this year RMD Texas will be able to go on to bigger and better things next year.  But there was one simple little basic lesson of life learned at the Dojo that night no one saw coming.

As Dorothy found out when she clicked the heels of her ruby slippers together in the Wizard of Oz, RMD Texas also found out that, sometimes, there is no place like home.

*     *     *     *     *
We hope to see you all at the 2011 Eisa Pageant.
We’re not to sure where it well be held yet, 
but you can bet we will start looking for a place right away.


(part of the pre-show)

Okinawa Drums Along Buffalo Bayou

It was a hot June day when the Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko - Texas Branch drum & dance troupe performed at the KBR Kids’ Day - a yearly event held at the Sabine promenade on Buffalo Bayou in Houston Texas.

The event offered a "Splish and Splash Zone" to keep the kids cool, a "Lean and Green Zone" to teach about healthy living (in a fun way) and an "Eco-Zone" to encourage recycling and the responsible use of our environment.  

Other features include boat rides, music, food and entertainment of all sorts.

Even thought the temperature soared into the triple digits the RMD troupe held nothing back in giving an energetic performance.  The stage, a wooden platform covered with a canopy, was a bit small for the typical RMD performance but they happily spilled out onto the surrounding lawn and showed their audience what Okinawa Eisa dancing is all about.  

With their colorful costumes in synchronized movement, Eisa chants filling the air and drums sounding along Buffalo Bayou a good sized crowd gathered.  After a few moments all were enchanted with the enthusiastic sights and sounds of the Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko and the Eisa dances being performed. 

 

On that day, a little more of the exciting Okinawa culture was introduced to a new audience.