Make up practice

Today was a make-up lesson day. The make-up in the photo is for the character of a young boy in Okinawan dance. The photo is the middle of process, not completed version.

Okinawan dance make-up applies thicker eye shadow, compared to Japanese Kabuki dance make-up.

Each character has different make-up; for example, a man's character in Okinawan dance applies darker foundation and dark lipstick. Eyebrows are one of the most important feature expressing character; in a male character, the eyebrows are thicker than they are for woman.

今週フライヤー用に写真撮影を控え今日はお化粧の稽古をしました。毎回化粧するたびに顔の雰囲気が違う、目のお化粧が一番難しい。

Junko's Brunch Talk

Today, my 5-minute cooking for brunch is Papaya and beef sautee, with tofu and green nappa miso soup. I used Kikkoman Thai Style Peanut Sauce (a slightly spicy stir-fry and dipping source) and light soy sauce for the seasoning of the Papaya sautee. It was deleeecious!

One of my students will visit my home this afternoon, and we will shoot some photos for the program of one of the upcoming spring festivals in which we will participate. I will teach her how to do her make-up and the proper way to wear her costume.

今日の午後は、春公演のフライヤー用に化粧と着付けとウチナー髪を結って写真撮影をします。
てんてこ舞の日々です。

よい週末をお過ごしください。

New Bag

I created a new bag yesterday and would like to show you a photo of it.

The style of the bag is called Bamboo Hobo. It is so beautiful that I definitely will carry one myself!
Please check my website later for the details of the bag.

I visited a fabric store on Long Island yesterday but couldn't find anything I liked, so I came home and created the hobo bag with my Nishijin fabric whichi is "Amazing !" 
Today I also taught a dance class. I'm a woman with many passions! 
I wish I could create stage costumes with Nishijin Ori, but it's just too complicated (sigh), so I guess I'll keep on sewing those handbags.

.

Today's Junko's Brunch Talk

Yesterday's dance lessons at Resobox was full of joy. I can't believe I have so much fun dancing with my students.

I am teaching three days a week lately, including two students that come to my home and take private lessons. We all practicing to perform at the Spring Cherry Blossom festivals.

This year, we will specially perform a piece titled Shoshun No Mai (a dance for early Spring) while carrying Cherry flowers in one hand. This dance piece was originally created by Master Nosho Sensei of the Nosho-Kai Ryukyu Dance School to celebrate the Spring time.

Today, my brunch menu also took only 5 minutes to cook. The turkey omelette with green pepper turned out to be a bit over-cooked and weirdly shaped, but it was tasty with a potato-and-tomato miso soup and brown rice.

I like simple meals, both to cook and to eat.

今日のブランチもまた５分間料理でした。トマトって味噌汁にしても美味しいです。

昨晩の稽古も楽しく終えました。桜祭り公演にむけて皆一生懸命に稽古にはげんでいます。Resoboxでの来週火曜日のクラスはお休みします。
２月７日火曜日にまたご参加ください。
My favorite Okinawan song of the day:
Ms. Keiko Higa who is one of four sisters of "Deigo Musume" folk group, organizes a new folk group called Shu-Bi-Zu: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDKKBCKJC74&feature=related

Junko's typical brunch menu

I turned off the heat and opned the windows of my study room today. Nice day, isn't it?

This is my typical brunch, which takes only 5 minutes to prepare.

This is a typical healthy meal, like we eat in Okinawa. I used to eat a vegetable Champuru dish each day when I was growing up in Okinawa.
Today's menu is Japanese soft rice and a mixed vegetable fry with Tofu, tuna, cabbage and green leaks. I mixed them together and sauteed them in olive oil, with only sea salt as a seasoning.

近くのインド系の食品店でかってきた野菜とくだもの。インドごーやーは苦い。
キューリはこりこりして種が少なくて美味しいです。

Cherry Blossom Report Part II

Hi, Happy Lunar New Year!!

In Okinawa, we celebrate Lunar New Year this week and the Cherries are blossoming now in Okinawa, please check out the image of Cherry Blossom in Yae Dake here:
Okinawa Cherry Blossom

I would like to introduce a song called "Sakura Ichiban" composed by singer-song writer Ms. SadakoTamaki. The song is about Hikan Sakura (a type of Cherries as you see in the video obove) blossoming in Yae Dake, Northern Part of the main island of Okinawa Prefecture.

沖縄県では、中国風に旧正月を祝います。各地で旧正月のお祭りが開催されているようです。そして沖縄県本島本部地区の八重岳の桜も満開のようです。

今日は、わたしの桜第二段情報として八重岳の桜にまつわる民謡歌も紹介しましょう。

玉城貞子（作詞作曲家）先生のオリジナル曲「桜一番」の歌です。

春に一番先誇る　日本一の八重桜　緑豊かなヤンバルに　アネ　やさしい香りの八重桜
するて　するて　めんそり本部んかい
(Haru ni ichiban saki hokoru, Nihon i-chi no Yae sakura ,midori yutakana Yanbaru ni, Ane
yasashi kaori no Yae sakura, suruti suruti mensori Motobun kai)

八重岳登り見下ろせば　本部半島くっきりと　今も栄える道の道の島　アネ
渡てめんそり八重岳に　するて　するて　めんそり本部んかい
（Yae Dake nobori mioroseba, Motobu Hantou kukkirito, ima mo sakaeru michi michi no shima, Ane
watati mensori Yae Dake ni, suruti suruti mensori Motobun kai)

I will demonstrate the folk dance for the Sakura Ichiban at the "Sakura Fest" event which will be held on March 14-17, 2012 at the American Museum of Natural History, NYC. (please check the schedule of the event at http://www.junkofisher.com/ dance schedule).

Please join us on Saturday, March 17th!

Music and Dance from Spain

Tonight, I went to see a recital of Music & Dance from Spain's Golden Age.

Musicians at the Spanish Gate: Christa Patton, Baroque harp, bagpipes; Dongmyung Ahn, Baroque violins; Christopher Morrongliello, lutes & Baroque guiter, The New York Historical Dance Company; Dorrie Olsson & Kaspar D. Mainz performed.

In the Renaissance and early Baroue periods, Spain was a dominant European power, and a leader in explorations of new territories all over the world. Spain's empire, under Philip II in the late 16th century, extended to Italy, Germany and the Netherlands. This was also a time of excellence in literature, music and the visual arts.

It was the first time for me to see music and dance from Spain's Goldern Age, and I enjoyed their excellent performances. Bravo!! Bravo!!