Aloha! So here we are at last, it's the first day of the 16th Annual Honolulu Festival. Local students of Oahu from K-12 were invited to the Hawaii Convention Center to participate in Honolulu Festival's Educational School Tour.
The students got a chance to get a close look at the preparations involved in organizing the performances and events for the weekend. The students met some of the performers representing the Pacific Rim, learn about their culture and experience the art form themselves. What an opportunity!
The students learned about the mikoshi on display, its rich Japanese history and the mikoshi traditions that are perpetuated by today's Japanese people. They also had time to interact with the volunteers building the head of the Daijayama (Fire Breathing Dragon), a highlight of the Grand Parade. The young people listened attentively.
Inaho Mikoshi
Honolulu Daijayama
Descendance, the aboriginal dance troupe from Australia, introduced their culture that dates back thousands of years through their dance and musical instruments. The dances and music reflected the importance of Australia's nature, their great outdoors and living things to their indigenous culture.
Australia (Descendance)
Alaska
(Alaska Native Heritage Center Dance Group)
The Alaska Native Heritage Center Dance Group represented Alaska's Native culture through their dance, costumes and musical instruments. The students were in awe to see Alaskan shoes and drums made from animal skin for the first time. You could tell that they were enjoying this experience.
The students watched the Alaskan dances very closely. The movements were so different compared to the hula that they are accustomed to. It was unique and beautiful, capturing the hearts of the young spectators.
We were fortunate to have four taiko groups from Japan at the educational school tour: KAZE-DAMARI, Taikojuku MIYAKO, TAIKO KOZO, and WADAIKO-MAMEZAKURA. And although they were all taiko groups, each group was unique. The shapes and sounds of the taiko differed. There were huge taiko as well as small taiko. So much variety! And when they all performed simultaneously at separate locations in the assembly hall, the vibrations caused a neat trembling effect.
Maryknoll teacher Rie Mizumura listened to the taiko performances with much interest and commented, "The world is very big and there is much emphasis on globalization in our education today. This tour gives the students an opportunity to experience and gain knowledge of the various cultures around the world. This is also a wonderful program because of Honolulu Festival's contribution of its services to our community and students for free."
Marissa, a high school student, learned how to beat the taiko with two groups, TAIKO KOZO and WADAIKO-MAMEZAKURA. She was thoroughly enjoying this taiko experience for the first time and absorbing Japanese culture not only with her mind but with her body. Her thin arms moved up and down vigorously, in unison with her other classmates. It was such a wonderful sight to see. You could tell that she was having a great time and she said, "I'll be back tomorrow for the Honolulu Festival."
Taikojuku MIYAKO
TAIKO KOZO and WADAIKO-MAMEZAKURA
KAZE-DAMARI
KAZE-DAMARI
This was the first time for the Honolulu Festival to have so many taiko groups participate at one time and all the groups were popular with the students. One of the Japanese language students was so immersed with the KAZE-DAMARI members that when his teacher signaled that it was time to move to the next station he shouted, "I want to stay here!" He begrudgingly left with the coaxing of his friend. Cute.
There was a common thread with all of the student groups and their taiko experience. As each student beat their taiko in unison, they all looked at each other and smiled. They became one. Taiko had the power to surpass the usual form of communication. Words were not necessary. The students could communicate with the beat of the taiko and their smiles.
So the first day of the Honolulu Festival was all about the students of Hawaii and their introduction to the cultures of Japan, Australia and Alaska. One of the chaperones explained the day perfectly. She said, "It would be difficult for us to travel all over the world. We are fortunate to be able to experience the various cultures of the world in one place at one time. How wonderful it is to be given this opportunity to learn so much."
Honolulu Festival Report || DAY 1 | DAY 2 | DAY 3 |
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