Haru Matsuri - A Japanese-American Friendship Spring Festival to be Held at Brookhaven Lab, May 6

March 28, 2006

UPTON, NY - A Japanese-American Friendship Spring Festival will be held at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory on Saturday, May 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Berkner Hall. This program is made possible in part with grants from the New York State Council of the Arts/Huntington Arts Council. Sponsored by the Laboratory's Asian Pacific American Association in collaboration with Ryu Shu Kan of Farmingville and the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Huntington, the festival will be held in honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. The event is open to the public. All visitors to the Laboratory age 16 and over must bring a photo ID.

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Junko Nagahama-Fisher performs the Okinawan Royal Court Dance. (Click on the image to download a high-resolution version.)

The festival welcomes spring to Long Island with the exciting sounds of traditional Japanese taiko drums, lively Japanese folk dance and music, and a variety of Japanese cultural activities for children and adults. Beginning with the thunder of the Ryu Shu Taiko ensemble, along with the beauty and elegance of the seldom seen Okinawan Royal Court Dance, the festival continues with martial arts demonstrations, including the Okinawan life protection art of Oyata Ryu Te; Japanese kendo, or fencing; tameshigiri, a sword art; and a rare demonstration of the donning of a complete set of 17th century Samurai armor.

Exhibits will include a display from the Greater New York Bonsai Society, Japanese ink painting, calligraphy, flower arrangements, embroidery, and Haiku poetry. Children's activities will include origami, dressing in a Japanese kimono, interactive story telling, and the re-enactment of the "Drums of Noto Hanto," a creative exploration of Japanese history, music and art by members of Ryu Shu Taiko. Everyone will be able to partake in a Japanese tea ceremony, called "Cha No Yu," and listen to a Japanese chamber music concert featuring koto, a Japanese string instrument, and a Japanese flute, called shakuhachi.

Tickets cost $10 each for adults, $5 each for children age 5 -12, and they are free for children under 5 years old. They may be purchased at the door on the day of the event.

Call 631 344-3347 for more information about the event. The Laboratory is located on William Floyd Parkway (County Road 46), one-and-a-half miles north of Exit 68 of the Long Island Expressway.

2006-10455  |  INT/EXT  |  Newsroom