Japanese Students Dance with Dancers from Japan

On March 27, 2012, as part of the 2012 National Cherry Blossom Festival, a group of GW students studying Japanese participated in a workshop on a dance tradition called Daidengaku. Daidengaku literally means “great rice field rejoicing” and originates in the folk dances traditionally performed throughout rural Japan. The workshop was led by Mr. Manzo Nomura, who, as a Kyōgen master, was honored by the Japanese government as a bearer of an "Important Intangible Cultural Heritage."  On the following day the students danced with dancers from Japan in a public performance at Hand Chapel on Mt. Vernon Campus. Mr. Nomura and  renowned actress Keiko Matsuzaka joined the dancers. WUSA channel 9 covered the event.