If you have been going to some of the most renowned events in South Florida, you must have encounter your first Japanese experience through the Taiko drumming.
The captivating sound of this Japanese art is unforgettable. The audience at the Hatsume festival at the Morikami Museum and Gardens enjoyed three sets of Taiko performance by Fushu Daiko throughout the the day.
The festival that celebrated the first day of Spring took place on March 19th and 20th. Taiko drumming has been part of the Japanese culture for many centuries. Its roots lie in the countless temples and shrines scattered all over Japan where they are played in religious festivals and ceremonies. It is said that the furthest point at which the village Taiko could be heard marked the edge of the village. Taiko also found a home in warfare, making sounds big enough to scare the enemy.
Ben Miller, a member of Fushu Daiko gave uVu a short interview between two performances at the Hatsume festival.
On March 27, 2011, The City of Fort Lauderdale celebrated it's 100th Birthday with a day long bash at the Riverwalk from Huizenga Plaza to the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.
Mayor Jack Seiler was the host for the afternoon's formal presentation which featured local officials and former office holders, a resident who was born before the city was incorporated, the woman who ctreated the official city logo in 1965 and Charles Fazzino, the artist who created the officail Centennial poster, a giant birthday cake, the unveiling of the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers new logo and much more.
If you missed the welcome and parade of luminaries, here it is to enjoy, but no cake, sorry.
The annual Jazz in The Gardens concert was anticipated by many for the performance of one of the best R'n'B and rap singer and composer of the 90s, Lauryn Hill. After the worldwide success of her first album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, the artist dropped from the public eye and only came back for a MTV Unplugged performance in 2002.
Often criticized by the public for her lateness and diva attitude on stage, Lauryn Hill shut everyone up on Saturday night, March 19th, 2011 during her performance at the Jazz in the Gardens.
Dressed with a puffy black skirt with a regular tee shirt on top covered by a red leather jacket, Hill took the stage like she never left it. Confident, powerful and determined to show Miami a good time.
Her performance was a mix of reggae, soul, RnB and Hip Hop. She performed some of teh crowd's favorite such as Killing Me Soflty and X Factor. People in teh audience sang along despitethe late performance at 11.45 pm, which was origiannly planned for 10.30 pm.
But no fault to Ms Hill this time! The sound engineer had technical problems, and seemed to still not have fixed it during her performance. Hill walked the the sound booth several times during her appearance and complained many time about the lack of level on her background singer and musicians. The solo during the X factor song was totally faded out in the background when it is one of the highlight of that song.
So many on Tweeter expected Lauryn Hill to fail or loose it on stage that the greatest surprise of teh evening was first that she showed up, and the actually performed, and well at that.
It was a great way to end the Saturday line up despite the late finish. Most people who stayed for her performance were glad to have done so and claimed on social media shortly after that "Lauryn Hill is back and bringing it." Way to go Lauryn...
It could be. Here is some video from the ribbon cutting for the photo-essay exhibit that looks at the history of Fort Lauderdale, unveiled at the New River Inn on Wednesday night. A Pre-event event for the big birthday bash that starts at midnight on Saturday on the beach in Ft.L. (the music starts at 8 and it may get loud as Mayor Seiler warns in the video - condos beware).
If you are used to visit the Morikami Museum and Gardens in a peaceful and quiet way, your habit would have been turned upside down on March 19th and 20th.
Instead of tranquil landscape, you would have come across a stage with taiko drummers beating the instruments with strenght and frenetic rhythms.
Instead of walking alone through the bamboo field , you would have cross path with Picachu or any other Manga Japanese characters.
The zen garden was transformed into the 31 Japanese festival Hatsume for a weekend.
Hundreds of people came to celebrate the first day of spring in style with three different stages presenting entertainment such as Shamisen performances, Martial arts demo and Japanese Folktales.
Children played in the bounce houses and competed in games such as transfering dry pasta from one bowl to te other using chopsticks. Parents cheered them on as some watched in awe their children inquiring about Taiko drumming.
Two areas offered traditional Japanese food, such as sushi, but also catered to those who felt closer to their American roots with burgers and hot dogs. The most interesting part was to gaze at teenagers and adults dressed up as their favorite comic book and mangas characters.
A contest was held for the best costumes during the day as well. The event ended around 6 p.m. A last tour around the park to rediscover the beautiful rock garden and bamboo path was the perfect finish for a unique event in South florida.
The hour drive from Miami was just a detail after spending 4 hours in the gardens and exposing children to a new culture and a possibility to run around the park while discovering new landscapes and culinary treats.
Some children even learned how to use chopsticks for the first time and had a taste of California rolls for lunch. The adults learned about the virtue of Feng Shui, zen gardens, and meditation while browsing the park.
So many events have been happening in Miami in the last two weeks that Shooting, Editing and Posting are the new names for our uVu crew and interns.
Let's start with the Miami Film Festival. uVu producer Jessy Schuster took a tour of Cineworks, Digital studios.
About 10 people who attended the Kodak Film Workshop were on site and learned about the color correction process and well as major differences between film and digital. Cineworks works with clients such as Burn Notice, Marley and Me, Coca Cola among many.
Fashion Week 2011.
Being an intern at uVu means learning everything about the new geenration of journalism. From producing,shooting, taking pictures, writing, editing, blogging and more. uVu new intern, Viviana, had the oportunity to attend the Fashion Week Miami 2011 in March and filmed the lingerie and swimwear fashion show. You can have a preview of her work here
After Florida Memorial’s University yearlong search for a president that required at one point stepping back to square one, it chose former Florida A & M University and past Leon County – where Tallahassee is located – Commissioner Henry Lewis III.
In his role as president of Florida Memorial University, the continues a more than three decade long career in Florida’ Historical Black Colleges and Universities. While he spoke about those university’s’ genesis and the role they play in higher education today, Mr. Lewis also emphasized his 10-year plan for the university, called Vision 2020. It includes everything from nearly doubling the university’s enrollment from 2,000 to 3,500 to starting a college of nursing to bringing back a dormant football program. Along with those lofty goals, he’s looking to give Florida Memorial a more research-focused mindset and tie it closely to Miami’s business community to see how it can help speed the recovery. “We have an annual budget of about $42 million dollars and that translates into almost $100 million dollars in impact on our community,” he said. “I've… found that South Florida has, particularly Miami, 14% unemployment rate. To solve that we've got to attract more businesses that can create more jobs and provide the man power that has the expertise to fuel those jobs.” Mr. Lewis discussed his vision for the university and how he hopes to accomplish it, with little tuition increase, with Miami Today staff writer Zachary S. Fagenson.
Newly-elected U.S. Rep. Allen West, who rode the wave of anti-government sentiments into office in November, addressed the Forum Club of the Palm Beaches on March 18, 2011.
West, a Republican, defeated incumbent U.S. Rep. Ron Klein and represents District 22 encompassing parts of Palm Beach and Broward counties. He is the second African-American Republican congressman elected since 1876.
Before retiring as Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army, West served as a Field Artillery Officer in several combat zones: Operation Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom and in Afghanistan. He is the third of four generations of military servicemen in his family.
“I have traded in my camouflage uniform for a suit,” West said. “But the commitment to protect the people of the United States is still my mission.”
West received his Bachelors degree from the University of Tennessee and Masters degree from Kansas State University, both in political science. He also holds a Masters of Military Arts and Sciences from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff Officer College in political theory and military operations.
During the same March 18 program, the Forum Club will honor former U.S. Rep. Clay Shaw with its Exemplary Elected Officials Award given to former elected officials who have made outstanding contributions to their community. Shaw served in Congress, in the same district West now represents, for 25 years.
U.S. Rep. Clay Shaw - Exemplary Elected Officials Award
Rep. Allen West (1/3) Forum Club of the Palm Beaches
Rep. Allen West (2/3) Forum Club of the Palm Beaches
Rep. Allen West (3/3) Forum Club of the Palm Beaches
Although he might not admit it, Charles Stainback, the William and Sarah Ross Soter, Curator of Photography at the Norton Museum, probably owes a bit of thanks for the idea for this exhibit to our friends at Sesame Street.
A simple but effective gimmick, Stainback nearly painted himself into a corner hen he found that the was still missing two photographers (X and Z) as the opening approached. Ever resourceful, he managed to purchase a piece by a chinese born photographer named Xiaoze Xie (double "X"). With Z he might have even been luckier when he identified a photograph of Marilyn Monroe at the publicity shoot for the "Seven Year Itch" (not the famous one the studio took) taken by a gentleman named George Zimbel.
Here is a short clip with Stainback shot during a tour he gave the media on Friday, March 18th at the Norton. Later this week we will post some extended video from that media tour including a conversation with George Zimbel, who talks about the famous photo shoot, and evening he describes as one of the historic moments in the history of photography.
During PBS’ BLACK IN LATIN AMERICA presentation at the Miami International Film Festival, executive producer, writer and presenter Henry Louis Gates, Jr. met with uVu producer Jessy Schuster to discuss Gates’ journey to uncover Latin America's African roots through the three parts documentary series “Black in Latin America” that will premiere on April 19th on WPBT2 at 8 pm.
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