We had a busy Spring season this year! In case you missed them, read more below!
Rutgers University’s Pan-Asian Lunar New Year
Soh Daiko performed for Rutgers University’s Pan-Asian Lunar New Year celebration on Friday, February 20th. The event was hosted by the Rutgers’ Asian American Cultural Center and we were honored to join a variety of talented Rutgers students for a night of fun, cultural performances! The night included food and activities, such as, paper lantern making and a photobooth that we had to try. It was so much fun to partake in the festivities and we are grateful to the organizers for creating a space that honors and celebrates diversity!
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Columbia University’s Japanese Students Association Matsuri
We had a wonderful time performing for Columbia University’s Japanese Students Association Matsuri on Sunday, March 29th! ‘Matsuri’ means festival in Japanese and it is often a time to exchange food, entertainment, and culture. We played our own rendition of Matsuri daiko to kick off the event. The evening was filled with delicious drinks and treats, such as onigiri and fresh matcha, and other exciting performances! After such a cold winter, it was a relief and a joy to get to celebrate the incoming spring and warm weather. We are appreciative to Columbia University JSA for hosting the event and for inviting us!
PC: William Kim
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Rutgers Japanese Students Association Matsuri
We returned to Rutgers University for the Japanese Student Association’s Cherry Blossom Festival on April 3rd!
From enjoying delicious ramen and boba tea, to playing fun games and taking in the beautiful lighted lanterns, everything was so thoughtfully put together.
It was especially fun performing for the audience and seeing everyone join in and dance along to “Dancing Hero”! Huge shout out to the “Spades” dancers for learning the dance so quickly and helping to lead the audience!
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H.C. Crittenden Middle School
We had so much fun performing at the H.C. Crittenden Middle School multi-cultural event on Friday, April 10th!
Prior to the performances, the students and their families set up tables to represent the countries their families were from and brought specially prepared foods and fun facts that reminded them of home. Everything we ate was delicious and we particularly loved how the Japan table featured some friendly faces: Hyottoko and Okame! After tasting and learning about different cultures, we had the pleasure of representing Japan with our taiko performance!
It was such a memorable evening where we experienced the power of building community and fostering understanding through sharing the food, art, and history of our cultures!
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Japanese American Association of New York Sakura Matsuri
On Saturday, April 18th, we opened the 21st annual JAA Sakura Matsuri in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. We had the privilege of sharing the stage with the Tenrikyo Drum and Fife Corps, JAA Chorus, the New York Okinawan Club & Jumpu-Kai NY, and the Japanese Folk Dance NY. Notably, Ambassador Satoshi Katahira and New York State Assembly Member Mr. Ron Kim attended the event. We also want to wish a warm congratulations to JAA’s 21st Sakura Matsuri honoree, Ms. Hiroko Onoyama! An honor that is well deserved for all your work creating youth exchanges through music. It was a beautiful morning filled with enjoyable performances and speeches!
We also had the opportunity to visit our cherry tree which was planted in 2019 in commemoration of our 40th anniversary. Surrounded by the blooming cherry blossom trees and falling petals, we are always grateful to connect with our community and celebrate springtime in New York.
A huge thank you to the Japanese American Association of New York for organizing and for inviting us to perform at their festival.
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Branchbrook Bloomfest
On Sunday, April 19th, we traveled to New Jersey for Bloomfest in the scenic Branchbrook park. Unfortunately, due to weather conditions, the festival was cancelled. However, we played a brief and spirited performance for the staff and vendors before packing up! We are grateful to the folks who cheered us on and made our day. It’s in these moments that we truly relish performing.
A huge thank you to Essex County Parks for inviting us – we hope for more favorable weather next year!
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Matcha 116 Opening
On May 8th, we performed for the opening of Matcha 116 in Greenwich Village! We were thrilled to bring a taiko performance for good luck and prosperity. The opening additionally featured a traditional tea ceremony and a lion dance! Afterwards, we enjoyed delicious matcha lattes that kept us caffeinated the whole day!
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Japan Parade
On Saturday, May 9th, Soh Daiko made a splash performing at the annual Japan Parade, celebrating Japanese culture in the heart of New York City! We had the honor of kicking off the Opening Ceremony, playing Yuudachi, a powerful piece to start the parade with over 100 participating organizations!
Following the ceremony, Soh Daiko joined the main parade, performing aboard the float of Japan Parade sponsor, Marubeni, as we made our way down Central Park West from 81st Street to 67th Street. The parade was led by Grand Marshall Japanese manga artist and illustrator Acky Bright, and also featured the Consul General of Japan, Ambassador Satoshi Katahira!
We have so much gratitude to the incredible Japan Parade team for organizing the event, and to everyone who cheered us on, danced with us, and shared their smiles, waves, and applause along the route! Despite the rain, we enjoyed the parade so much because of you!
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Reflecting on our spring performances, suffice it to say it’s always a privilege to share our passion for taiko and uplift our communities. Stay tuned for more performances to come!
Soh Daiko performances are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
