Japan Day @ Central Park Schedules Events for 5/22

In light of the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Japan Day @ Central Park, a major cultural event now in its fifth year, has organized a galvanizing stage performance with other family-friendly activities on May 22nd with the theme GANBARE JAPAN! (You can do it, Japan!).

This year's Japan Day @ Central Park is intended to bring together New Yorkers in solidarity with the people and the nation of Japan as they strive to recover from this disaster.

Since the first event in 2007, Japan Day @ Central Park has had three goals: 1) to build bridges of cultural understanding between the people of Japan and the U.S., 2) to say "Thank you, New York!" for providing such a nurturing home to America's largest Japanese community, and 3) to facilitate stronger grassroots connections within the local Japanese community.

This year, we will send the message of "GANBARE! JAPAN!" to the people of Japan through the "Japan Run," a 4 mile-run in Central Park on Sunday, May 8th, and the "Japan Day Festival" on Sunday, May 22nd, which will feature stage performances and activity tents. Our special guests will include Circus, Senri Oe, DMC, AISHA, Keiko Matsui, Mai Fukui, Yuka Takara, Lainie Sakakura and TEN-YOU, who is also our Official Artist for this year's event.

In keeping with the "GANBARE! JAPAN" message of this year's event, donations will be accepted both through the Japan Day website and at the "Japan Run" and the "Japan Day Festival". These donations will go in their entirety to organizations active in relief and recovery from the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. If you donate at these events, you will have a choice of gifts in exchange for your contribution.

THE STAGE SHOW ON SUNDAY, MAY 22:
will begin at 11:00a.m, at Rumsey Playfield, Central Park and continue throughout the day, and will feature THREE DISTINCT ACTS.

ACT ONE: THE POWER OF TRADITION will focus on the Japanese traditional arts that have been an enduring source of strength, spiritual resilience, identity and pride. The act opens with the first-time ever collaboration of New York's two leading Taiko-Drum groups: Soh-Daiko and New York Suwa Daiko Association. Titled "Twice the Power", this exuberant collaboration demonstrates how joining forces results in triumphant energy that can conquer all obstacles. Next, International Karate Organization Kyokushinkaikan, a display of traditional karate skills, shows how intense concentration, practice and patience can accomplish the seemingly impossible in our daily lives. Then, New Yorkers will have the opportunity to directly express and experience for themselves the "GANBARE!" energy that comes from joining together across cultures to celebrate life as the "OMIKOSHI" - a large altar - is born energetically through the cheering crowd by dozens of volunteers; this is followed by the joyous "BONODORI" dance that everyone is invited to join in. Japan Day's Official Artist, TEN-YOU, concludes Act One with her stirring, unique Calligraphy performance, which presents the creation of a huge calligraphy canvas expressing the "GANBARE!" spirit of the day, choreographed to the live music of Japanese traditional instruments.

ACT TWO: JAPAN - NY GANBARE! SPIRIT will demonstrate the fusion of Japanese spirit and culture with the dynamic, embracing spirit of New York. The opening act, GANBARE! from Broadway will feature Yuka Takara and other top Broadway talent performing hits from Broadway's most popular musicals, directed by Lainie Sakakura & choreography by Alex Sanchez. Next will be a jazz vocalist extraordinaire, TAEKO, who blends New York style with Japanese sensibility, followed by Keiko Matsui, a contemporary jazz pianist/composer from Tokyo whose critically acclaimed recordings have often graced the Billboard charts in the U.S. Another artist from Tokyo comes rising star Mai Fukui, becoming known in Japan for her uplifting songs of inspiration. For the finale of ACT TWO, AISHA, who is both Japanese and American, will perform with renowned rapper Darryl "DMC" McDaniels from Run-DMC, backed by the thrilling hip hop dance styling of the BDC Dancers, an all - Japanese group of dancers from the Broadway Dance Center.

ACT THREE: JAPAN - NY VOICES TOGETHER will send a powerful musical message of support to Japan, beginning with a performance by Japanese 80's pop icon Senri Oe, who has come to live in NYC to study and play jazz; he will perform with a large big band. Next, a vocal quartet long known for their eloquent harmonies, Tokyo stars Circus, will perform reflecting and celebrating the harmonious spirit of the Japanese people. For the finale of the stage show, Circus will be joined by three New York-based chorus groups; Sixty voices will be raised in songs of love, hope and inspiration for Japan.

THE ACTIVITY TENTS: Throughout the day, in the Naumburg Bandshell area near the stage show, there will be several activity tents for New Yorkers to experience Japanese culture first hand - and "hands on." A language tent will introduce key Japanese words (e.g., GANBARE!, which means "you can do it!"). Other activities include Origami, Robot Sumo Battle, the Hello Kitty Photo Booth, and Calligraphy.