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2016
A Thousand Things Connected: FandangObon at the Festival
August 24, 2016
It was the Fourth of July, and it was raining. Martha González, lead singer and songwriter of GRAMMY-winning band Quetzal, had just finished performing in a lively FandangObonperformance at the 2016 Folklife Festival. Continue to read the article…
Link: http://www.festival.si.edu/
How to Dance the FandangObon
June 23, 2016
Summer in Los Angeles means it’s time to go to as many Japanese American obon gatherings as I can, to join in the dances known as bon odori. “Tada odore!” we yell. “Just dance!” Leave your ego at home, and step into the circle! Continue to read the article…
Link: http://www.festival.si.edu/blog/2016/how-to-dance-the-fandangobon/
A Grain of Sand: Music for the Struggle by Asians in America
by Sojin Kim
The Evolution of FandangObon
21 Jan 2016
The crazy idea of bringing Fandango and Obon together began in 2012, when Quetzal Flores invited me to a Fandango class that he and his partner, Martha Gonzalez were teaching at Plaza de la Raza in Lincoln Heights. Continue to read the article…
Link: http://www.discovernikkei.org/en/journal/2016/1/21/fandangobon/
2015
Remembering Legendary Detroit Activist Grace Lee Boggs (1915-2015)
October 05, 2015
Democracy Now! has learned the longtime Detroit activist and philosopher Grace Lee Boggs died this morning at the age of 100. “She left this life as she lived it: surrounded by books, politics, people and ideas,” said her friends and caretakers Shea Howell and Alice Jennings. Continue to read the article…
Link: http://www.democracynow.org/
Grace Lee Boggs: Words of wisdom from 70 years of activism
October 06, 2015
Grace Lee Boggs, a prominent activist who was involved in the labor, civil rights, black power, women’s rights and environmental justice movements during her seven decades as an organizer, died Monday at her home in Detroit. Continue to read the article…
Link: http://www.latimes.com/nation/
Grace Lee Boggs, prominent activist for seven decades, dies at 100
If it weren’t for the rats, Grace Lee Boggs might never have become a radical.
But when she was fresh out of graduate school and working in a Chicago library for $10 a week, she had to run a gantlet of rats to get into her basement apartment. Nearby, her neighbors, mostly African Americans, faced the same problem and were out in the streets protesting. Continue to read the article…
Link: http://www.latimes.com/local/
2014
National Asian American Theater Festival Review Roundup
October 16, 2014
A wealth of Asian American theatrical talent descended upon Philadelphia this past weekend for the National Asian American Theater Conference and Festival organized by the Consortium of Asian American Theaters and Artists … Continue to read the article…
Link: https://www.greatleap.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/WNPPB-review-2014.pdf
Which was your favorite part?
Little Tokyo Service Center News has a recap of the Fandango Obon Mottainai Eco Fest in its November 2014 newsletter. Read the article…
Link: http://www.ltsc.org/index.php/pressroom/e-newsletter/current-newsletter#FAN
2013
Nobuko Miyamoto, Sosei Matsumoto Named KCET Local Heroes
In observance of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, KCET-TV has announced two “Local Heroes” from Los Angeles’ APA community, Nobuko Miyamoto and Sosei Shizuye Matsumoto.In a city where cultures often collide, Nobuko Miyamoto, artistic director and founder of Great Leap, has set out to harmonize relations through the use of the performing arts. Continue to read the article…
Link: http://www.rafu.com/2013/05/nobuko-miyamoto-sosei-matsumoto-named-kcet-local-heroes/
2012
Joann Stevens: Arts Righting History
Japanese singer-dancer Nobuko Miyamoto will speak about her role in making a place for Asian Americans in music October 19th.
By Joann Stevens
October 17, 2012
Before 1973, there was no Asian American music recognized in the United States says Nobuko Miyamoto, a Japanese singer-dancer credited with creating the nation’s first Asian American album, A Grain of Sand, with co-creator Chris Kando Iijima and William “Charlie”Chin. Continue to read the article…
Link: http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/aroundthemall/2012/10/joann-stevens-arts-righting-history/
2011
Knock on Wood
Hyphen Magazine Issue 23: The Bittersweet Issue
Published on Mar 14, 2011
Click here to open the publication
Open publication – Free publishing – More asian america
2008
The Ugly American Uncensored
November 10, 2008
Dan Kwong Brings his Multimedia Political and Social Commentary to the New LATC Continue to read the article…
Link: https://www.greatleap.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/IG2BA-review-DTLA-2008.pdf
