Asian American and Pacific Islander Festival

I had the pleasure of joining the students and artists of Misako Ballet for the AAPI Heritage celebration at the Chrysalis in Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods in Columbia, Maryland, performing excerpts from Misako Aoki’s one-act ballet inspired by Momotaro — “Peach Boy” — one of Japan’s most beloved folk tales.

The afternoon brought together performers representing a wide range of Asian and Pacific Islander cultural traditions, sharing music, dance, costume, and storytelling throughout the park. It was especially meaningful to participate in a work created by Ms. Aoki, whose teaching and choreography have long connected classical ballet with Japanese culture and storytelling.

I have always loved performing folk tales because they preserve so much of a community’s imagination and accumulated wisdom. Whether Ukrainian, Japanese, or from another tradition entirely, these stories carry ideas about courage, loyalty, kindness, responsibility, perseverance, and our relationships with one another from one generation to the next.

Events like this are also a reminder that culture is not something preserved only in museums or archives. It continues to live through people — through music, movement, language, costume, storytelling, and the shared experience of performance. I was very grateful to share the stage with Misako Ballet and with so many artists bringing their own traditions to the celebration.

My Role:

PERFORMER

Related Links:

Misako Ballet Studio

Chrysalis - Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods

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