"Japan Day 2010" List of Performers

Hosted by Sandra Endo / Sub-hosted by Brian Nishii

Video Program starts at 10am

ACT ONE - 10:30am to 12:40pm: Traditional JAPAN

	Name of the Artist	Performance	Description
	New York Suwa Taiko Association	Taiko (Japanese Drums)	Hiroyuki Kurashima, Chairman of the New York Suwa Taiko Association and founder of Taiko Masala, has been performing O-Suwa Daiko in New York since 1993. After receiving the title of Shihan (master) in the Suwa-style, he began to teach Taiko in New York. In 2002, he established his own professional Taiko team, Taiko Masala, and the following year, he was selected as a Teaching Artist at the Lincoln Center...
	Samurai Sword Soul	Samurai Performance	Samurai Sword Soul is a theater company formed by Yoshi Amao and Yoshihisa Kuwayama in 2003, with the mission to spread BUSHI-DO (the way of the Samurai), to the world. They also strive to express the noble spirit and the beautiful formality which make up the foundation of samurai sword fighting technique. Their sword...
	SHINOBI-TRY	Ninja Performance	SHINOBI -TRY is a Ninja performance group that combines martial arts, dance and acrobatics, creating a dramatic, action-packed street-style performance that pushes the boundaries of physical possibility. They combine time-honored tradition with a kinetic style to create a new kind of Ninja, one that honors an ancient code while...
	The Japanese Folk Dance Institute of New York	Dance	The Japanese Folk Dance Institute of New York, founded by Momo Suzuki in 1992, celebrates and performs the myriad festival dances of Japan. Composed of dancers of various ages and nationalities, the group was created to give all the opportunity to enjoy Japanese dance. Today they will be performing Bon Odori, the raucous...

ACT TWO - 1:10pm to 2:05pm: Tokyo Now

	Name of the Artist	Performance	Description
	The Ricecookers	Rock Band	The Ricecookers are an East Coast band founded in 2004 by Tomomi Hiroishi (Vocalist), and Kota Fujii (Lead Guitar), and was soon joined by Daisuke Wakabayashi (Bass) and Sohei Oyama (Drums), all of whom met in Boston and are graduates of the prestigious Berklee College of Music, where they were classically...
	Broadway Dance Center: Hip-Hop from Nippon to NYC	Hip Hop Dance	Broadway Dance Center, New York City’s premiere multi-disciplinary dance studio, is proud to count many Japanese dancers in its International Student Visa Program. Among its world-class faculty is esteemed hip-hop teacher Chio Yamada, whose style embodies the traditional and contemporary influences of New York. The show will feature Japanese Hip-Hop dancers in a...
	Tokyo Fashion Festa featuring GRAMM	Fashion Show	Tokyo Fashion Festa NY was a fashion show produced on February 2010 in collaboration with The Museum at FIT. At Japan Day, Tokyo Fashion Festa NY will include the brands ALICE and the PIRATES, Angelic Pretty, BABY,THE STARS SHINE BRIGHT, BLACK PEACE NOW, Mielette Tautou, HI-HO!!, and Madame Killer, with GRAMM as its musical guest. GRAMM is a category...

ACT THREE - 2:35pm to 4:35pm Next Generation: Hello World!

	Name of the Artist	Performance	Description
	Minami Kizuki	J-pop	Minami Kizuki was born in 1990 in Kagoshima, Japan. Influenced by her older brother, she began to sing “shimauta,” traditional music from Amami Oshima. She quickly built her fan base with vocals that evoked the imagery of the Japanese grasslands and in January 2009, she released her first single “Aitsumugi.” On July...
	KUMIKO	Chanson	Kumiko has been hailed as “an artist who gives spirit to words” by legendary director Hayao Miyazaki. Her recording of “The Merry-Go-Round of life”, was the theme song for Miyazaki’s film, “Howl’s Moving Castle.” One of her best known recordings is “My Beautiful Love Story,” popularly described as “a song that moves...
	SADAO WATANABE	Jazz	Born on February 1, 1933, Sadao Watanabe began playing the alto sax at age 18. He soon made a name for himself on the Jazz scene by joining Toshiko Akiyoshi’s Cozy Quartet and various other bands. He studied abroad at the Berklee College of Music and enriched his musical style by performing with big acts such as Chico...