The Chinese, Japanese and Korean communities in Portland are cooperating to bring a free, virtual, online musical performance — Mask Dances of Three Nations — to the larger Oregon community on October 11 at 3pm PST. Performances will feature traditional music and mask dances from the three nations. The goal is to unite the three communities and to educate the public about the music, dance and cultures of China, Japan and Korea.
This event, Mask Dances of Three Nations, is the sixth in a series that began years ago with Strings of Three Nations (2015), followed by Dances of Three Nations (2016), Drums of Three Nations (2017), Voices of Three Nations (2018) and Flutes of Three Nations (2019). Because of the COVID-19 virus, this year’s performance will be the first time that the event will be a virtual online performance. Please join us!
The event can be viewed from the comfort of your home. All are welcome to join us, but registration is required on Eventbrite at:
eventbrite.com/e/mask-dances-of-three-nations-a-virtual-online-performance-tickets
The idea for this series of performances originated in 2015 with officials from the Oregon China Council, the Consular Office of Japan in Portland and the Honorary Consulate for the Republic of Korea in Portland. In a joint statement at that initial meeting, the group stated, “We want to show that, despite the political tensions in many parts of the world today, our respective communities in Portland serve as a model of cooperation and friendship. In this spirit, we are delighted to share an afternoon of Chinese, Japanese and Korean cultures with the citizens of Oregon.”
This year with the COVID-19 virus, the forest fires and the frequent demonstrations in Portland, we feel it is more important than ever to show a spirit of cooperation, unity and support among us. We also believe that this exciting event will provide some respite from the difficulties that we have all been facing.
Our Mask Dances of Three Nations will feature performances from Long Yu, a “rapid mask-changing” performer representing China; the Sahomi Tachibana Dancers, a traditional mask dance troupe from Portland representing Japan; and the Seattle Songpa Sandae Nori group performing a traditional mask street performance from the Songpa-dong neighborhood of Seoul, Korea. Professor Wynn Kiyama, professor of ethnomusicology, will provide a preview of the performances and highlight the similarities and differences of the dances. Brief statements will be offered by representatives of the Oregon China Council, the Consular Office of Japan in Portland and the Honorary Consulate for the Republic of Korea in Northern Oregon.
Please join us for this exciting event!