From Barbed Wire To Boogie Woogie - A Story of Resilience Through Swing Music & Dance

Dear Friends, This is a program that I have worked on for five years, and it has been my dream to present it at The Japanese American National Museum. That dream is coming true on June 17th. It would mean the world to me if you would attend! Take this opportunity to bear witness by hearing the stories of June and Takayo, now each 90 years old, as they tell you how they met in Camp when they were just 10 years old. They have been friends for 80 years, and they share a unique bond of experiencing incarceration with their families during WWII, but surviving those years with a life their parents created for them there filled with art, sports, music, and dance. The program has two parts: 12:00-1:30 An overview of the Camp experience and interview by me with June and Takayo, then from 2:00-5:00pm a Swing Dance featuring the Fabulous Esquires (I'll be teaching a beginner swing dance class at that, too!). Please join me in honoring these ladies and all the other Camp survivors who attend. Even though this is a dark time in our country's history, you will be uplifted by their resilience, I guarantee it. Dancingly, Rusty Frank ------------------------------------------- FROM BARBED WIRE TO BOOGIE BOOGIE https://www.janm.org/events/2023-06-17/barbed-wire-boogie-woogie ------------------------------------------- OVERVIEW: ------------------------------------------- Celebrate the resilience of a community in struggle through swing music and dance! This multi-part program will explore the impact of swing music and dance on youth in America’s concentration camps through personal storytelling, history, and dancing. ------------------------------------------- PART ONE - LIVING HISTORY ------------------------------------------- Join for a conversation with dance preservationist Rusty Frank who will explore what it was like to be a young person making the best of a difficult situation through conversation with Camp survivors June Aochi Berk and Takayo Tsubochi Fischer. Berk and Fischer are both artists and performers who met in Rohwer, Arkansas at 10 years old and have continued a friendship through these years. This conversation will be grounded in the swing music and dance of the 1940s. ------------------------------------------- PART TWO - SWING DANCE! ------------------------------------------- Join for a social swing dance with live music from The Fabulous Esquires Big Band and opportunities for all to be a part of the experience. Rusty Frank will lead a beginner swing dance lesson, followed by an afternoon of popular tunes from the 1940s and a chance for all generations to connect through immersive history. ------------------------------------------- TICKETS : https://www.janm.org/events/2023-06-17/barbed-wire-boogie-woogie ------------------------------------------- Please note that tickets to each part of the event are sold and priced separately. Contact [email protected] with any questions regarding ticketing. FOR MORE INFO ON JANM: https://www.janm.org/