Cherry Blossom Picnic

Well as far as adverse weather goes there was plenty leading up to this Sunday, saturating the ground with life bringing water. However, a very clear and cool afternoon greeted us merry making picnic goers as we settled under the cherry blossom trees. While we were all assumed to bring our own food… most brought items for all to share thus further making the dinning in the petal falling shaded area even more delightful. With the sweet smells of both the foods prepared and the newness of spring blossoming all around us. We finished our sack lunches and fancied our spare time with some games. From activities where you had to clap and mimic the actions and gestures of others to a Japanese game of categories aptly titled “Happy Water.” Altogether the day was full of fond memories and the always splendid company of our fellow yosakoi members.

Jordan—

K-State Open House

On Saturday, April 19th, Yosakoi performed at the Kansas State University Open House. Many activities were going on all day throughout the campus. Yosakoi was featured as one of the performers for this event, performing outside for a small crowd. The dances Gakkoyokyozai and Basara were performed. Also, a third dance, Soran Illusion, was debuted.

In addition to fun dancing, Yosakoi members were pleased to have their first performance in new happi coats! The new happi coats are red, yellow, and black with circles and sakura print. They were very dramatic for the outdoor performance.

After the performance, a small group of Yosakoi dancers went to the Union together to watch the Marching Cobras perform. The Marching Cobras is a stepping group from Kansas City. Yosakoi members were also invited to dance with the Marching Cobras during a portion of their performance!!

International Showcase

On April 17, 2008, seven members of the Yosakoi team danced for the International Showcase put on by the Sigma Lambda Gamma Sorority. It was held at the International Student Center with a great turn out. Along with Yosakoi dance, many other campus organizations performed for the crowd. After the show, there were free snacks for the performers and audience. There were samples of food from all of the different countries represented at the showcase.

At this particular performance, we were able to debut our new happi!! The audience was impressed at the new costume change and it was fun to dance in them!

If you’d like to have the K-State Japanese Yosakoi Dance Club perform at one of your upcoming events, please contact our Director, Seiji Ikeda (seiji306@hotmail.com) or our President, Cami Riblett (criblett@ksu.edu).

Yosakoi Members are Popular

Lately, Yosakoi members have gained some notoriety in public. First, Vice-President Elect QiuXia was featured in a gallery show of K-State’s Journalism Photo Show in the Union. And, in today’s article, Andrew is the main photo for the article on last weekend’s Japanese Festival: click here to read it.

Central Kansas Japanese Festival

Saturday, April 12th, the KSU Yosakoi Japanese dance team performed at the Central Kansas Japanese Festival held in the K-State Union in Manhattan, Kansas.

The team was pleased to be included in opening ceremonies in the courtyard. They danced two songs, “Samurai” and “Shachihoko”. Team members also participated in other activities going on during the festival such as the Bon-odori dance workshops, Japanese calligraphy and many other events. Later in the afternoon, during the stage performances, Yosakoi performed “Basara” and Gakkoyokyozai” for the audience.

Other performances featured were the Eisa Okinawa Dance, performed by the KU Japanese Student Association. An Okinawa music performance of two songs, Nada Sou Sou (All My Tears) and Shima Uta (Island Song), was performed by one of our Yosakoi members Miyuki Shimizu along with Haruki Sato and Jun Tadaki.

Kuniko Yamamoto performed story telling time with traditional musical instruments, masks, origami and mime. One of our Yosakoi members Minako Nemoto and Jun Tadaki performed two songs, Hana (Flower) and Sakura Yokocho (Cherry Blossum Alley) to the audience’s delight. The KSU Tuba and Euphonium Ensemble also performed a medley of songs from the movie “My Neighbor Totoro.” The final performance of the evening was Taiko, performed by the KU Taiko Club.

Once the festival was over, all the participants gathered at the International Student Center for a post-festival celebration. There was wonderful food provided and everyone enjoyed socializing!

Yosakoi Performs at International Talent Show

On Sunday, April 6, the Japanese Yosakoi Dance Club performed in the International Talent Show at McCain auditorium. The event featured various performances from the different international student groups at K-State.

Yosakoi opened the evening with a performance of Basara accompanied by colorful lighting as a backdrop. After several more acts and a brief intermission, Yosakoi performed again, this time debuting a new dance, Shachihoko. This dance, combining hip-hop and the traditional Japanese art of Noh, is a dance the club plans to perform in Japan this summer.

The performance was well-received, and the show was an energetic kick-off to International Week 2008. The Yosakoi club plans to participate in other events for International Week, including International Dance Lessons on April 11 and the KSU Japan Festival on April 12.

KU Japan Festival

The KSU Japanese Yosakoi Dance Club had the opportunity to perform at KU’s Japan Festival on Saturday, April 5, 2008. We performed for this festival last year and were excited to be asked to return again!

The KU Japan Festival was held in the Kansas Union Woodruff Auditorium and consisted of performances from 3:00 pm – 5:30 pm and workshops right after until 7 pm.

For our first song, some of the girls danced “Basara” in colorful, pretty yukatas! The nice variety of yukatas really stood out and made the dance very fun!!

The second song started out with Minako, one of our members, singing an introduction to “Gakkoyoukyouzai” and other members working in the fields. This introduction to Gakkoyoukyouzai was a song that workers would sing to pass along the time while they worked.

Everyone seemed impressed with this fast-paced song and we received numerous compliments on this performance.

After our performances, KSU Yosakoi got to check out the workshops at the KU Festival. There, we had the chance to practice Taiko drums, calligraphy, get our nails done with ‘nail-art’ and other fun activities. It was nice to spend time with Yosakoi members in Lawrence and experience the KU Japan Festival’s events.

We look forward to returning next year!

Arts & Sciences Day

On April 3rd, The Yosakoi Japanese Dance Club performed for the KSU Arts & Sciences Day. Six members peformed in the Union Courtyard of the K-State Union. This performance was the debut of a new addition to the Yosakoi uniform: hakama pants. Three dances were performed: Basara, Gakkoyoukyouzai, and Yocchore The team was well-received by the crowd

Yosakoi will have one more practice this evening before the KU Japan Festival in Lawrence. Saturday is the KU Japan Festival, where the Yosakoi team will be performing in the performance sections of the festival. The team is excited to travel to Lawrence again!
If you’d like to have the K-State Japanese Yosakoi Dance Club perform at one of your upcoming events, please contact our Director, Seiji Ikeda (seiji306@hotmail.com) or our President, Cami Riblett (criblett@ksu.edu).