View allAll Photos Tagged Obstacles
When northerly winds blow for a few days, small icebergs escape the deep Nuuk fjord - which has a couple of active glaciers. Scary thoughts haunt me, of those glaciers retreating due to global warming. Well - I guess in 100 years nobody will miss these - sipping pina coladas on this once arctic beach....
Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) first year students compete in the obstacle course held throughout the RMC grounds on September 17, 2021. Each team is assessed as they race through 12 different obstacles with the best time at the end being declared the winner.
After high school she traveled to Japan and enrolled in the Kabuki acting school of the legendary Onoe Kikugoro VI. For four years she studied acting, dancing, shamisen, tea ceremony, flower arrangement, and narimono (percussion instruments). Since Kabuki includes dancing and acting, she was sent to the renowned Kabuki dancer and choreographer Fujima Kanjuro VI. Determined not to fail, she survived the rigors of training, overcoming obstacles including discrimination for being American born. Finally in 1938, she was bestowed the professional name of Fujima Kansuma and was granted permission by the legendary Kikugoro VI to dance his renowned Kagami Jishi (Mirror Lion Dance), an honor and privilege given only to exceptional students. She returned to the U.S. and just as she opened her first dance studio, her life and career were disrupted by World War II.
With the bombing of Pearl Harbor, she and her parents were taken to an Arkansas internment camp to live. There, with only a kimono, fan and one recording of Japanese music, she brought light and joy to a dark and dismal situation. Later, camp authorities allowed Madame Kansuma to travel to other camps to perform and teach Japanese dance. To this day, many still recall her performances of Urashima and Tange Sazen.
After the war, Madame Kansuma returned to Los Angeles and resumed her dancing and teaching career and began doing more and more choreography for a westernized audience. She has taught countless girls how to dance, 46 became her Natori, where they are granted professional names.
Her work to educate and build bridges between two cultures and nations was recognized by both the Japanese and American governments. In 1985, Japan awarded Madame Kansuma the Order of the Precious Crown, Apricot in recognition for her work in enhancing the appreciation of Japanese culture in the United States. The National Endowment for the Arts deemed her a National Heritage Fellow for the Arts in 1987, honoring her as a master traditional artist and recognizing her lifetime achievements and contributions totraditional arts heritage. In 2004, she was given the Japanese American National Museum’s Cultural Ambassador Award for her devotion to Japanese Classical Dance.
At 96, she continues to teach and choreograph and her legacy lives on through her students. Her troupe performed at the 1984 Olympics, Rose Parade and Disney Concert Hall and Music Center. They were also involved as choreography consultants and appeared as dance students in the Oscar winning movie “Memoirs of a Geisha.”
Madame Fujima Kansuzu
Madame Fujima Kansuzu, daughter of Madame Kansuma, has studied Japanese classical dance under her mother since she was three years old. She made her debut performance as Fujima Kansuzu at the Dorthy Chandler Pavilion, performing Kagami Jishi, the same dance her mother performed 76 years ago.
A graduate of the University of Southern California, she has performed at the Grand Kabuki Theater in Japan, and National Endowment for the Arts Heritage Fellowship Program when her mother was a recipient.
Madame Kansuzu has lectured on Kabuki dance and make-up at Pepperdine University, and performed in movies, television, and commercials.
She has choreographed for the Emmy award-winning show, “Young and the Restless,” and was a consultant and associate choreographer and dancer for “Memoirs of A Geisha.” Ziyi Zhang and Olympians Maia and Alex Shibutani have worked with Madame Kansuzu. She recently completed work on the upcoming movie, “Masterless.” She is married to Noriyoshi Tachibana and has three children, Jonathan, Taizo, and Miwa.
The Fujima Kansuma Dance School is over 75 years old and Artistic Director Madam Fujima Kansuma has been teaching the art of nihon buyo to more than five generations of students. She has been part of this Nisei Week Grand Parade since 1950.
She and her daughter, Fujima Kansuzu, choreographed this years “Soran Bushi” and “Hinode Ondo”, trying to maintain the traditional while making it attractive to the new generation. They selected a J-Pop favorite from EXILE and a modernized classic minyo from Sakamoto Fuyumi.
The Fujima Kansuma Dance School has performed at such high profile venues as the Hollywood Bowl as well as community events such as the annual Gardena Pioneer Project. They recently performed at the 30th anniversary celebration of the Japanese Garden and completed work on an upcoming faith based feature film Masterless.
Their hope is that the Nisei Week celebration continues to bring people of all backgrounds together to appreciate the beauty of Japanese culture.
Source: Nisei Week Foundation
The Grand Parade is one of the many events that take place during the Nisei Week Japanese Festival. Visit the Festival's official website for more information about one of the nation's longest running cultural festivals.
Been a while since i done a photoshop piece so just randomly done this!
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ਅਸਟਪਦੀ ॥
ਜਹ ਮਾਤ ਪਿਤਾ ਸੁਤ ਮੀਤ ਨ ਭਾਈ ॥
Where there is no mother, father, children, friends or siblings
ਮਨ ਊਹਾ ਨਾਮੁ ਤੇਰੈ ਸੰਗਿ ਸਹਾਈ ॥
O my mind, there, only the Naam, the Name of the Lord, shall be with you as your help and support.
ਜਹ ਮਹਾ ਭਇਆਨ ਦੂਤ ਜਮ ਦਲੈ ॥
Where the great and terrible Messenger of Death shall try to crush you,
ਤਹ ਕੇਵਲ ਨਾਮੁ ਸੰਗਿ ਤੇਰੈ ਚਲੈ ॥
there, only the Naam shall go along with you.
ਜਹ ਮੁਸਕਲ ਹੋਵੈ ਅਤਿ ਭਾਰੀ ॥
Where the obstacles are so very heavy,
ਹਰਿ ਕੋ ਨਾਮੁ ਖਿਨ ਮਾਹਿ ਉਧਾਰੀ
the Name of the Lord shall rescue you in an instant.
ਅਨਿਕ ਪੁਨਹਚਰਨ ਕਰਤ ਨਹੀ ਤਰੈ ॥
By performing countless religious rituals, you shall not be saved.
ਹਰਿ ਕੋ ਨਾਮੁ ਕੋਟਿ ਪਾਪ ਪਰਹਰੈ ॥
The Name of the Lord washes off millions of sins.
ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਜਪਹੁ ਮਨ ਮੇਰੇ ॥
As Gurmukh, chant the Naam, O my mind.
ਨਾਨਕ ਪਾਵਹੁ ਸੂਖ ਘਨੇਰੇ ॥੧॥
O Nanak, you shall obtain countless joys. ||1||