St Matthew Multicultural Festival

I am delighted to join the students and artists of Misako Ballet for the St. Matthew Multicultural Festival in Columbia, Maryland, where we will debut Okame & Hyottoko, a character duet drawing on two familiar figures of Japanese folk and festival tradition.

The performance is part of a larger program by Misako Ballet and an afternoon bringing together music, dance, food, and traditions representing the many cultures within the St. Matthew community.

I have always enjoyed events where artists from different cultural traditions share the same space. Dance offers a particularly immediate way of encountering another tradition — through music, movement, costume, character, and storytelling — while also revealing how much human experience we share across cultures.

It is especially fitting to introduce Okame & Hyottoko in that setting. Their playful characters emerg

e from a long Japanese folk tradition, and I am grateful to Misako Aoki for another opportunity to explore cultural storytelling through performance while sharing the stage with her students and fellow artists.

My Role:

PERFORMER

Related Links:

Misako Ballet Studio

St. Matthew Orthodox Church

St. Matthew Multicultural Festival

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