Japanese Department Holds Campus Bon Odori Workshop
Open gallery
September 28th, on a beautiful sunny day, the Japanese Department held our once-a-semester cultural workshop in the academic quad. This fall, it was Bon Odori (a Japanese traditional dance to welcome the spirits of the dead). Ms. Chris Dart, a local Bon Odori teacher from the Oregon Buddhist Temple as well as a good friend of Japanese instructor Yoshiko Reynolds, came to campus to share the rich tradition of Bon Odori and her passion for it with our students. We were joined by almost all of the 70 students taking JAPN101 and 201, theater students, and people enjoying their day on campus. Just like it was supposed to, the event became quite festive during the two sessions. Even though some dance moves didn’t seem to feel intuitive to some of the students, everyone seemed to enjoy engaging in the hands-on activities. I’d like to give a special thanks to Yoshiko Reynolds sensei for coordinating the event, Dean Suttemeier and the program coordinator of the World Language and Literature Department, Blair Orfall for coming to join us!
