To carry out the national tour, the Nikka Festival Dancers was formed with Sadayo Hayashi as the National Director and Chiyoko Hirano as the National Choreographer. This national dance troupe consisted of approximately 30 sansei dancers from B.C. and Ontario.
The Nikka Festival Dancers were given excellent television and media coverage as the group toured across Canada. The teachers held seven workshops across Canada sharing their expertise with other teachers and dancers. During the Centennial year, the group performed at 26 events exposing over 65,000 Canadians to the Japanese heritage. Their concerts concluded with Wonderful Canada, a dance that portrays the melding of the two cultures of Canada and Japan, and the blending of the maple leaf and cherry blossoms.
A highlight for the Nikka Festival Dancers was a command performance before Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Nikka Festival Dancers
Nikka Festival Dancers
Matsuri
Kenji-shi
Musicians performing with group;
Theresa Kobayashi, Harry Aoki,
and Takeo Yamashiro.
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