Download FANDANGO OBON 2014 Japanese, Mexican and African American

Publicity Contact: Veronica Gonzalez
[email protected]
(323) 236-2309
For Immediate Release
FANDANGO OBON 2014
Japanese, Mexican and African American Artists in Los Angeles
Bring Together Their Communities through the Participatory
Music and Dance of Obon, Fandango, and Egungun Traditions
Fandango Obon 2014 & the Mottainai “Eco” Fest Take Place October 26th
at the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center
Los Angeles, CA (October 14, 2014): Great Leap and the Japanese American Cultural
and Community Center (JACCC) invite L.A.'s diverse communities to the Noguchi Plaza
to be part of FANDANGO OBON 2014 on Sunday, October 26th from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00
p.m. Los Angeles based artists QUETZAL, NOBUKO and Nigerian drum master NAJITE,
bring together popular participatory music and dances of Fandango from Veracruz,
Mexico; Obon from the Japanese Buddhist tradition and Egungun from Nigeria’s Yoruba
tradition.
The event opens with the Mottainai EcoFest, offering hands-on workshops and exhibits
that focus on the important topic of cultural and environmental sustainability within
communities of color. At 1:00 p.m., the FANDANGO OBON begins with the call of taiko
drums, to bring everyone into a circle with their instruments or their feet to engage in
the music and dance that traditionally have helped bind and build community for
Mexican, Japanese and African Americans. This year, the public can be part of a new
dance titled, “Omiye,” a ritual of appreciation for the sacred sustainer of life and
water—a “rain dance.”
FANDANGO OBON was conceived by local artists, Nobuko Miyamoto, Quetzal Flores
and Martha Gonzalez, each with extensive experience in engaging the public in
participatory arts. Nobuko has written several songs with circle dances in the Japanese
Obon tradition. Her "Mottainai" has stimulated interest in the Japanese tradition of “no
waste,” and is danced by thousands during yearly Obon Festivals. She is the Director of
Great Leap, a multicultural arts organization which uses art as both performance and
creative practice to deepen relations among people of diverse cultures and faiths.
Quetzal and Martha of GRAMMY® winning band, QUETZAL, have helped spread the
flourishing participatory music and dance of the Fandango, a synthesis of Mexican,
African, and Native music and dance, rooted in Veracruz, Mexico. Now they collaborate
with Najite Agindotan, master Nigerian drummer and founder of Festival of the Masks
in Leimert Park.
In 2013, the first FANDANGO OBON gathering produced a music and dance conversation
between two cultures, in the form of a song and dance that was titled, “Bambutsu,”
meaning all things connected. Over this summer, over 10,000 people danced
“Bambutsu” at eighteen Buddhist temples throughout Southern California in their yearly
Obon Festivals. A brief video about last year’s event is available at:
http://youtu.be/bPwaYvXH_gw.
Workshops have been taking place at temples, community spaces to share in each
other’s music and dance practices and cultural traditions. One workshop is left on
October 19th at 1pm at Higashi Hongwanji Temple in Little Tokyo.
FANDANGO OBON encourages better environmental practices, creating a “no waste”
event. Walking, bicycling, riding the Metro, and carpooling are encouraged as well as
bringing your own water bottle. There will be water stations and The Green Truck for
lunch.
Community Partners include: Sustainable Little Tokyo and LA Commons. Funded by
California Arts Council, Artivist Entertainment, and Union Bank.
FANDANGO OBON 2014 EVENT DETAILS:
Sunday, October 26th, 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
JACCC Noguchi Plaza
244 South San Pedro Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012
https://www.facebook.com/events/679656802120626/?fref=ts
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