Chijinshu Wakatiida
Okinawan Drum Dance & Music
Friday, October 11, 7:30pm
Michael  J Fox Theatre
7373 MacPherson Avenue, Burnaby BC
Special Guests: Hidekatsu, Mion, and Yujiro Nakajima

Adult $20 | Student/Senior $15 | Child 3 – 13 $10
okinawa10112019@gmail.com   604.250.9532

On Friday, October 11, Metro Vancouver audiences will be treated to a feast of Okinawan drum-dancing featuring eisa, Ryukyu shishimai (lion dance) and wadaiko as Chijinshu Wakatiida and special guests Hidekatsu & Mion, take over the stage of the Michael J Fox Theatre in Burnaby.

Yuimaaru is an Okinawan word that means “assist each other and work together”, which to me is the soul of eisa, the folk dance and drumming of Okinawa that is so deeply rooted in community.

Chijinshu Wakatiida is a youth ensemble of eisa and wadaiko (what we know of as taiko here in Vancouver), founded over 27 years ago by City Hall officials and parents to build and encourage a healthy next generation through drumming. Chijinshu Wakatiida performed at the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami orphan support charity concerts in 2012 & 2014 at the Michael J Fox Theatre and we’re really excited to welcome them back!

Also, as this year is the 130th Anniversary of the Consulate General of Japan in BC, it couldn’t be a better time to share our Yuimaaru spirit.

Eisa began in the mid-17th Century, originating as nenbutsu (chanting), performed on the last day of the Bon festival (the Buddhist All Souls’ Day) as a way to honour the spirits of one’s ancestors. Since those beginnings, there have been many changes. After the Second World War, numerous eisa festivals were organized as a way to energize the younger generations and build community spirit. It is still very much a community-based art form that reflects the spirit of the Okinawan people.