The National Cherry Blossom Festival’s Opening Ceremony on Sunday, March 23, 2014 at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC for kids of all ages was great.
Family Days is now a two-day event full of hands-on activities, interactive art demonstrations, and exciting indoor performances that celebrate spring and explore Japanese arts and design. Featured performers included the Blues Alley Youth Orchestra, Greenbelt S.I.T.Y. Stars, Justin Pineda Fronda, Philadelphia Dance Academy, Adventure Theatre MTC, Peabody Preparatory Harp Department, and Gojin and Chin Hamaya Daik Dancer. The hall of the museum was decorated with balloons and Japanese images while a cartoon-like character of the basketball great Bill Russell roamed about taking pictures with us.
The Gojin Yosakoi Dance Performance was my favorite! The red, black and white costumes were brimming with beauty and the drumming was powerfully intense. The Yosaki style of dance started in the city of Kochi in 1954, but the history of the dance dates back thousands of years. It was great to see this unique cultural presentation and I was joyous to be with the Japanese presenting a theme of “One for all and all for one!” as our precious cherry trees blossom into one of our most treasured gifts.
Walking back from the Festival one sees our homeless population, indicating we have work to do! We hope! DC HOPES!
