Ue O Muiete Aruko Ondo (aka Sukiyaki Ondo)

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Dear friends and supporters, As we are getting closer to the holiday season, I hope you are doing well. As the Wa no Kai and I go forward with planning the recital, I would like to share the meaning behind the 30th Anniversary recital. My heart ”Kokoro” To me, the 30th Anniversary Recital is more than a milestone. The theme for me is “Ongaeshi”. “恩返 し”. It is a Japanese word meaning “to give back with gratitude”. It is my heart of gratitude, to each and every one of you who have touched my life in some way. To each and everyone one of you who I have had the privilege and opportunity to cross paths with. All of you have helped me to persevere by supporting me and giving me hope. Giving me the extra push of encouragement. Giving me the extra smile of warmth and kindness. As I celebrate my 30th Anniversary, this is the beginning and hope for my next journey in Nihon Buyo. But before I start my journey, I would like to take the time to show my gratitude to everyone who has supported me throughout the years. The 30th Anniversary recital is my way of saying “Arigatogozaimashita “ to everyone. Future generations As I have mentioned in my prior sentence, the 30th Anniversary is the beginning of my new goal. My goal is to set a foundation for the future generations. To connect them to the artists in Japan so if and when they have the opportunity, they will have supporters who could help them achieve their goals. Also to have the artists from Japan nurture the artists in the US to bring more understanding and harmony, creating a cultural bridge throughout all artists between the US and Japan. Hidden Legacy Hidden Legacy is a documentary by Ms. Shirley Muramoto. The documentary shares the traditional Japanese cultures that persevered and gave hope to the Japanese Americans in camp. Nihon Buyo along with other activities gave joy to all those who were watching. Even if it was for that moment, they were able to forget the environment and circumstances that surrounded them. They had so little but made it into so much. They made the stage props, costumes, small props, almost everything from what they could find from their daily life. I found out that some were able to get special permission to retrieve necessary things from their house to continue sharing Nihon Buyo. After seeing the documentary and listening to the interviews, it inspired me to do more. It has motivated me to strive higher with a bigger purpose. I am blessed with so much. I need to at least try. I won’t know until I try. I have attached the link to Hidden Legacy. https://youtu.be/HDqKDexQRSg?si=bfilR9WqYH8oKrUP The Aratani Theater Why the Aratani Theater? The Aratani Theatre was built to promote and present the Japanese Culture. Aratani theater is the only theater in LA that has a Shosadai(the wooden platform made for Kabuki and Nihon Buyo) and Hanamichi(a runway in Kabuki theater that extends from stage right to the back of the theater). Many teachers who taught Japanese traditional cultures, community leaders and corporations who supported the Japanese culture contributed to the development of the Aratani Theater. My Oshishosan (teacher) had most of her recitals here. As we are in a different era, we had to go through many changes. There are less and less Nihon Buyo Recitals at the Aratani Theater… I want to bring it back to the Aratani Theater. Not just for myself, but for all the teachers and mentors in different fields I have looked up to. It is a very special theater… There is so much more in my heart that moves me to continue what I do, but words cannot express it all. I hope you could continue to help me and support me in keeping this beautiful art preserved and continued for the future generations to come. Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. Please take care and may the coming of spring bring much joy, happiness and peace to you. With deep gratitude, Bandō Hidesomi