Mira Loma’s annual Asian Art Festival took place on Friday, January 27, 2023. This long-standing Mira Loma tradition showcases visual and performing art that reflects cultures from all over the continent of Asia.
The festival originally started out as a smaller event, displaying the artwork of a combined project completed by students in Ms. Ochoa’s English class and Ms. Char’s art class. Since that time, it has attracted the participation of other classes, the International Studies program, and cultural groups on campus, growing into a much-anticipated full day celebration.
Mira Loma’s band started off the festivities by playing “Kokiriko Bushi.” This musical piece is thought to be one of Japan’s oldest folk songs, originating from a village called Gokayama. The Kokiriko is a Japanese percussion musical instrument composed of wooden slats that are strung together with rope or leather straps. When played, the wooden slats slap together to create a rattling sound that can be described as similar to the cascading sound of a series of dominoes falling. Originally, the instrument was played by dancers in Shinto rituals and then became incorporated in other dances, as well as folk music.
The festival also featured many forms of dancing. Dance is often a unique form of artistic expression for many cultures around the world. It is often directly linked with a culture’s traditions and holds special symbolic meaning. Students at Mira Loma were fortunate enough to witness a variety of cultural dances as part of the Asian Fair’s programs.
Talented student performers from multiple cultural clubs performed traditional Indian dancing, Filipino folk dancing involving bamboo poles, Korean-pop style dancing, and other group and individual dances. This was a highlight for many students who attended, with one junior commenting, “It was very fun to see so much variety of dance styles and to compare the uniqueness of the accompanying music. It is highly reflective of the diversity of the student body at Mira Loma.”
Students who were part of a Chinese dragon and lion dancing group also organized and performed traditional lion dance and dragon dancing. These are popular Chinese dances that mark important occasions throughout the year, including the Chinese Lunar New Year, which took place on January 22nd. The lion dance featured sets of two performers who donned an ornate lion costume and recreated the lively movements of a lion. The dragon dance complemented the lion dance and featured multiple performers who supported an extensive dragon figure by holding sticks.
Together, the performers maneuvered the dragon figure to mimic the graceful and yet energetic movements of the dragon. Because many more performers are involved in the dragon dance, this dance required more focus on coordination of movements with fellow performers. Both dances are usually accompanied by the energetic music of drums, cymbals, and gongs. In China, the lion symbolizes both power and wisdom, while the dragon symbolizes strength and good luck. The dances are typically performed to bring good fortune and happiness. The performances this year certainly contributed to the festive atmosphere and celebration of culture at the festival.
In preparation for the festival, Ms. Yang, instructor of the Mandarin classes, also asked the students in her classes to learn and practice singing the Mandarin song “The Moon Represents My Heart” made famous by Teresa Teng, a well-known Taiwanese singer and actress. The song is one that became massively popular in China in the 1970s, at a time when revolutionary music had dominated China for the previous decades. It has become representative of modern China and considered one of the most famous Chinese songs. Other displays of Chinese culture at the festival included the striking exhibitions of Chinese fan dancing and ribbon dancing.
Attendees also had the opportunity to watch a performance by Mira Loma’s Taiko Drum Club. In Japanese, the word “taiko” means drum, and taiko refers to a traditional style of drumming using Japanese drums. Taiko dates back to ancient Japan and is thought to have originally been used in the battlefields. This year, the Taiko club played three songs. The first song was “Hiryuu,” which means flying dragon, the second was “Raku,” which means ease or comfort, and the last was “Issho,” which means together.
The hours of practice by the performers paid off, as the thunderous performance from the Taiko drummers was received with great enthusiasm and applause. Kira White, one of the Taiko drummers, shares, “I think the hardest part in the performance prep was getting all the players to play together for certain parts, just to make it sound cleaner. Also, the three person rotation for ‘Raku’ took a lot of practice to coordinate and to get the performance energy high enough, but our performance this year was one of the best we’ve had so far! You can look forward to our next performance at the More Love Less Hate Rally.”
In addition to performances that took place in the cafeteria, a wide variety of visual art was also on display. This included art inspired by Asian artists, as well as events like the Japanese-American internment camps. A table of ceramic lanterns, crafted by IB art students, also helped decorate the festival area.
Meanwhile, in the F wing, a variety of culture booths were available for students to visit. One of these booths featured henna art and had henna available for those interested in trying it out. Henna is a temporary dye that is made from the plant, Lawsonia inermis. The use of henna to create temporary body art dates back to ancient Egypt. Today it is used in several countries, including India, where henna art is used to celebrate special occasions like weddings and birthdays. Finally, fashion from many cultures was also shared throughout the day as many students wore traditional clothing to school.
The event was very rewarding for everyone involved. Students were able to share their culture with their peers, while, at the same time, they learned more about other cultures. Christian Yao, a Mira Loma freshman, remarks, “The fair was a great way for students to celebrate the different cultures, as well as appreciate the similarities. Events like this are meaningful because they foster more understanding between people and open people’s eyes to new perspectives.”
Additional photographs from this year’s Asian Art Festival taken by Mauro Guerra-Reynosa can be found here.
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