Nikkei Student Union, a campus group dedicated to promoting
Japanese American culture, is reaching deep into its pockets to
provide an evening of free entertainment.
On Monday, NSU will present its 17th Annual Cultural Night,
weaving together disparate elements of Japanese American
culture.
The show will feature traditional musical performances by campus
groups UCLA Kyodo Taiko and NSU Odori ““ traditional Japanese
drumming and dancing groups, respectively, named after the styles
they perform ““ and by NSU Modern, a contemporary dance group.
In all, there will be about 150 performers, not counting the
students working behind the scenes both during the show and as part
of the ongoing process of planning and organizing it.
Fourth-year chemical engineering student Julie Pai and
second-year sociology student Megumi Tomatsu, co-producers of this
year’s show, stress that the purpose of the event goes beyond
entertainment.
“Every year, the people change, the story changes, but the
main goal remains the same,” said Pai. “We intend to
educate others about Japanese culture.”
The NSU cultural night originally began as a commemoration of
Executive Order 9066, President Roosevelt’s Feb. 19, 1942
authorization to relocate Japanese Americans to internment camps.
The production is written, directed, produced, choreographed,
arranged and performed entirely by UCLA NSU members. The
performances of the three groups will be based around a play
written by NSU member Daisuke Arai.
The show promises a wide variety of musical performances.
“Rai,” one of the drumming songs Kyodo Taiko will play,
patterns itself after the sound of a storm, representing thunder
and clouds. In ancient times, the Japanese used Taiko to bless
their seasonal crops and summon rain.
Another song, titled “Genki,” is said to represent
happiness and energy.
NSU Odori will have three numbers, and for the first time,
feature a male dance. Male odori dances tend to be faster and less
gentle. A second number, a comedic dance, will also be faster and
more upbeat.
“We hope to provide a different insight into Japanese
traditional dancing,” said Tomatsu in reference to the
differing styles.
The other dance number, slower and more serious, will be more
along the lines of a traditional dramatic dance.
NSU Modern will perform a hip-hop set and a jazz set, and will
incorporate Japanese pop music into its routine as well.
“We’re presenting traditional music, but this is
still a Japanese-American show,” said Tomatsu.
“We’d like to show how Japanese culture has adapted to
American culture.”
Together, the members of NSU have worked toward the goal of
raising awareness of their culture on campus, Pai added.
“We’re hoping that the members of the audience learn
a little more about Japanese culture and the students they go to
class with,” said Pai.
The NSU Annual Cultural Night will take place Monday in
Royce Hall at 7 p.m. Admission is free. Go to
http://www.uclanikkei.org for more information.