October 13, 2004—Music and dance from both Japan and the African Diaspora will intertwine next month in a dance concert at Oberlin College Friday, November 5 and Saturday, November 6, at 8 p.m. in Warner Main by Yukiko Shishikura '05 and Dance Diaspora, Oberlin's widely acclaimed student-touring company.

Titled Power of Tradition, "the concert is one of the few performances on campus to be directed by a Japanese student using dance and music from Japan and the African Diaspora,"says Shishikura, who created and choreographed the program in collaboration with the dance ensemble.

"I feel tradition is often ignored in both American society and in modern Japan," she says. "Through Power of Tradition I hope to explore its meaning and purposes through the lens of Japanese, African, and American culture. The program also will express the importance of learning and carrying on ideas from generation to generation."

"Working with such a diverse dance ensemble also has enabled me to create choreography that integrates experiences related to gender, class, and ethnicity in the U.S. as well as to oppression in Japan and in many other Asian countries."

Performing with Dance Diaspora are the College drumming group Ilui Aiye and Japanese students. The installation art is by Rachael Schaffran '04, and the lighting is by Phoenix Singleton '00.

Warner Center is located at 30 N. Professor St., behind the King/Rice building. Tickets are $5 at the door and $4 in advance from the Central Ticket Service (CTS) box office, noon to 5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., or through the CTS 24-hour reservation line (440-775-8169). Seating is limited.

"Every semester, Dance Diaspora's members present a full length concert on campus to tell stories and chronicle struggles related to global racial, political, and personal issues," Shishikura says. "This fall, I have been given the opportunity to do a show incorporating my own story as a Japanese woman who has lived in the United States for seven years.

"Performing with the ensemble has been an enormously healing experience," adds Shishikura, who is originally from Kunamoto, Japan. " Dancing with the company has helped me re-discover my identity and ancestry, which I almost lost due to the influence of American culture.  

"Also, the Japanese traditions I learned from my grandmother have helped me better understand the traditions of the African Diaspora. Although seemingly dissimilar, both heritages have much in common.