12TCCDF - Official Opening Ceremony at Omori Bell Port

Although workshops started yesterday, today is the main day of the event...the Official Opening Ceremony.  Event venue is at the lovely, airy and spacious atrium of Omori Bell Port...a business and office complex just a stone's throw from our hotel.

We arrived at the venue at half past 9am.  The atrium was already filled with people helping to set up the area, stage, decorations and sound system.  Hiro had sectioned off the atrium with rope cordons on both sides of the dance floor and with partitions on the opposite side of the stage.  The expansive feel of the place, with its high ceilings and large atrium is really impressive.

View of dance area taken from the 1st floor, at the elevator landing.

DJ console on the left....lights, speakers and decorations waiting
to be lifted off the ground

Love this balloon.  So cute!

Hello Big Bird, my old friend from Tokyo.  We meet again after
four years. :)

Many dancers started arriving and soon the tables were filled.  We had a table specially set aside for us behind the DJ console.  


Hiro kick started the event by calling all the instructors on stage.  He introduced the VIP instructor for this event, Niels of course, and then proceeded to introduce each one of us with a brief background on the instructor like he did yesterday.  


Today's dance teaches would cater mostly to Beginners, Improvers and Easy Intermediate dancers.

Formal introduction of instructors to participants by Hiro marking the official opening of the day's event.
From L to R: Niels Poulsen, Yuri Tomita (translator), Mei Ling, Yukiko Ohashi, Yoko Kizaki,
Michiko Tomiya and Chizuko Takayasu.  Hiro's holding the mic (extreme right)

Niels teaching

Filled floor...

One for the album :)

And another... my good buddies from Tokyo, Japan

Thank you DJ Miura for a glitchless flow of music

Everything at his finger tips..

Michiko Tomiya from Osaka

Chizuko Takayasu

With the 1st half of the workshop over, we headed to the Italian restaurant within the complex for lunch.

Crab meat spaghetti

Three more dances were taught after lunch, after which we were treated to a country western number by Miharu and Hiroko.

Hiro had organised a mini choreography competition to encourage local dancers to begin choreographing.  The competition is still in its infancy and had only two entries, but Hiro is confident it will gain momentum soon.


Voting was by the workshop participants.  Each was given a slip of paper printed with Team A on the left and Team B on the right.  After both teams had showcased their choreography, we dropped the name of the team we preferred, into a box.  Team A emerged the winner with their interesting country western choreography.


The winning team was later called to teach the dance to us.

Yuki and ladies showcasing her choreography for the competition
(Team B)

Miharu, Hiroko and the 'cowboy' showcasing their number for
the competition.  (Team A)

In between dance teaches and open dancing, I got to play catch-up with friends I met back in 2008. Chit-chatted with new ones and basically had a good time :)  Thank you Hiro for inviting me.  I'm thoroughly enjoying myself!

Hsiao Ling, Yuki & I

Great pix courtesy of Hiroshi Yaoko, the official photographer

Towards the later part of the evening, Niels, accompanied by the event instructors and Hsiao Ling, performed 2 of his dances for the crowd.... EZ Midnight and Only Girl.

EZ Midnight

and Only Girl.  

The workshop ended at 9-ish with Niels teaching What Are Words.  A beautiful NC2S! Easily my favourite for the entire workshop.  Niels choreographed it to Chris Medina's song 'What Are Words' which has a story behind it.  To find out more, click here:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Medina

In total, we learnt 8 dances and we danced them many times over during open dancing.  So much so that the track for The Blarney Roses (choreographed by Maggie Gallagher) kept ringing in my head the whole night.  I think I wasn't the only one, because I heard Niels humming it too well after the event was over... lol!

Happy faces once again! :)

For dinner (at about 10pm) we walked all the way from Omori Bell Port to Omori station...to the shops behind/or beside it...for a spicy noodle meal.  Niels loves to eat spicy food, and he can handle it too!  So this was right up his alley.


Again, the food outlet was a really small one and it was a tight squeeze for all who came. We looked at the menu and placed our orders.  The menu was coded with flaming balls of fire icons to denote the level of spicyness.  One flaming ball meant Mild, right up to 5 balls of fire!  Niels wasn't sure just how spicy 5 balls of fire was so he played it safe and ordered a bowl of noodles rated with just 3.  I ordered the mildest one.....but soon added on spoonsful of chilli to get the 'oomph'.  So did Niels.  Hsiao Ling helped him pile on the chilli paste, even adding the chilli oil to spice things up.  Look at how red his soup is.  Looks like curry laksa :)


But no matter how much chilli paste we added, it wasn't all that spicy... but it was really tasty though.

Hsiao Ling adding more and more and more chilli paste into
Niels' bowl of noodles... :)

Not a strand of noodle left in Niels' bowl.  That's how delicious it is, or was... hahaha :D

Another day concluded.....again around midnight.  It was a nice walk back to the hotel in cool temperate weather and after a nice fulfilling meal... 


Next: Final day of 12TCCDF workshops

12TCCDF - 1st Day (20-04-12)

The 1st day of Hiro's event, the 12th Tokyo Crazy Country Dance Festival....

We didn't have to rise too early this morning, but we did all go for breakfast before the breakfast area closed at 10am.

Right after breakfast, I excused myself so that I could go use the hotel's one and only computer located in the lounge.  I had brought my Ipad along hoping to be connected whilst in Tokyo but alas, the hotel does not have wi-fi nor does any of the nearby shopping or food outlets.  The hotel provides free internet service in every room, but you need the regular laptop to plug in the cable provided.  Sigh....I lugged the Ipad across part of the Pacific Ocean for nothing.  Anyhow, thank goodness for the one computer in the lounge.  At least I could check my emails and updates on Facebook everyday.

At about 11am, Niels, Hsiao Ling, Yuki & I got into a taxi and headed for Ikegami Kaikan Hall.  Today, Niels will be conducting a lecture titled 'My Way Of Choreography' from 2-4pm. He had prepared 13 points to share with us. I'm glad I booked my ticket to arrive in Japan 2 days earlier instead of Friday (as initially planned) because I would have missed this lecture as I'm sure I'd have been too sleepy/tired to attend it.  It was a good lecture, well-prepared and shared by Niels, and I learnt a lot.  We all did.

Niels putting a point across

Paying full attention to what Niels has to share..

Because we'd had a heavy breakfast, we opted not to have lunch until after Niels' lecture at 4pm.  From the hall, Yuri, Niels & I walked to a nearby shop for some local fare..udon in soup.  Yummy!  Hsiao Ling didn't join us as she wanted to help with the setting up of the hall for the next session, which is the dance workshop.  So we ordered a take-away for her. Luckily the shop was willing to oblige us as they don't usually cater for take-aways.

Niels and Yuri

We had some time while walking back to
the hall...couldn't resist this sakura tree within
the temple grounds.

Registration for the second part of today's workshop (dance teaches by Niels and Yuki) started at 4:30pm.  Dancers began to arrive and fill the hall.  Meanwhile, Hiro played several tracks for open dancing.  The dance workshop this evening caters for the Inter/Advance and Advance category, so the number of participants weren't as many as the next two days'.....2nd day for Beginners and 3rd day for Intermediate level dancers.

Open dancing

The instructors were formally introduced to the participants by Hiro,
with a brief background on each instructor.  Yuri (in purple top)
translated for Niels & I.

Niels taught Love Trouble & Stealing Apples

Yuki shared Tomorrow

With Martha Ogasawara from Osaka

With Miho, who also choreographs.

Happy participants of the 1st day 12TCCDF workshops

We ended the day at 9:30pm and a group of us headed back to the hotel to drop off our stuff, then on to dinner.  Niels suggested we try the Korean restaurant near our hotel.  He had tried it a few days ago and highly recommended it. 

Cheers!

Can't remember what this was but it had cheese in it
and tasted really good! :)

All cameras out.  Ready, Set, SNAP!!

Cooking our dinner

Bar-b-q-ing veggies.  Looks a little overcooked lol!

Niels and Michiko toasting each other with sake.

Hmmm.....good wine, yes?

Dinner was good and the company was fun.  We laughed a lot, ate a lot and toasted a lot... :D
We had fun cooking the meat and veggies over the grill provided, so much so that we sometimes forgot to monitor them and some veggies turned to a crisp...LOL!  Yuki's grill caught fire while she was tending it and the meat on top got a real toasting.  That put us in stitches too watching her antics.


Our tummies full, our hearts happy and our feet aching from all that dancing during the day, the group walked back to the hotel, just around the corner, calling it a night...in anticipation of another wonderful day tomorrow.


Next:  Official opening day of 12TCCDF at Omori Bell Port

Tokyo Day 2 - Kamakura & Yokosuka

Niels was scheduled for a workshop in Yokosuka this evening, but before that Hiro drove us to Kamakura to see the famous Kencho-ji Zen temple and Shinto shrine in that area.  The drive took about an hour or so.

A sakura tree in full bloom.

Entrance to KENCHO-JI temple (SOMON, general gate)

A little background on Kencho-ji temple....


Kencho-ji is ranked the highest among 5 great Zen temples in Kamakura, and is the oldest monastery for Zen training in Japan.  It was constructed in the 13th century during the Kencho Era, hence it's name.


The found of this temple was Rankei Doryu (Lan-hsi Tao-lung) a Chinese Zen master from the Sung Dynasty, who left China in 1246 to teach Zen in Japan.  He was the first Zen priest to be conferred the title of "Daikaku Zenji" (Teacher of Great Realization) by the Emperor Gouda.

One of his meaningful sayings: 

"If you have lost your true self, 

all phenomena bring you nothing but annoyance. 

 If you discover your essence of mind, 

you can follow nothing but the true path."

Kencho-ji originally comprised seven main buildings and 49 sub-temples, but most were destroyed in a series of fires during the 14th and 15th century.  At present, the temple complex contains about 10 sub-temples and several main buildings.

SANMON (Main Gate)

Admiring an ancient tree

HATTO (Dharma Hall)
All major public ceremonies are performed in this building which dates from 1814.
It is the largest wooden Buddhist structure in Eastern Japan.

Niels & I in front of KARAMON (Chinese Gate)
This was originally located at Zojo-ji in Tokyo but was moved
piece by piece to this present location in 1647.

With Hsiao Ling

BONSHO (Temple Bell)
This bell, cast in 1255, bearing an inscription by the Founder, has
been designated a National Treasure by the government of Japan.

In deep contemplation.... ;)

Next stop is the most important Shinto shrine in the Kamakura, Kanagawa prefecture ...Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu. 

It's definitely a popular destination, observing from the number of people in this place.  And very likely a popular spot for newly-weds to get their photos taken.  We spotted one during our visit.

Japanese bridal couple

Walking towards the main temple (in the background)

A little bit about this place that I gleaned from the internet:  This shrine was originally built in 1063 and dedicated to the Emperor Ojin, his mother Empress Jingu and his wife Hime-gami.  The temple was moved to its present location in 1191 by the founder of the Kamakura Shogunate.  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsurugaoka_Hachiman-g%C5%AB)

On the left of the shrine's great stone stairway was a 1000-year old
gingko tree which was uprooted in the early hours of March 10, 2010
by a storm.  Efforts to revive the tree were unsuccessful....

The grand old gingko tree in all its splendour before its demise.

Niels trying to get the attention of this pond's inhabitants.

Here fishy, fishy....I don't have food for you but you can have
a go at my finger..... :)

Interesting booths lining the pathway to the main shrine.
This one sells roasted gingko nuts.  Fresh and dee-lee-cious!

This one sells an assortment of colourful candies.
So tempting....but nah ah....got to watch that waist.

Another one selling strawberries sprinkled with sugar
and stuck to a biscuit base with syrup.

A traditional custom before entering a Shinto shrine:
Wash ones hands and rinse ones mouth..

First the fish, now the pigeons.... lol!

Sake barrels...lots of em!

Stoned!...
Too much sake...

The stone stairway leading up to the shrine hall.

Inside the shrine.

12th Tokyo Crazy Country Dance Festival (12TCCDF)

The 12th Tokyo Crazy Country Dance Festival hosted by Hiro Suzuki, ran from 20-22 April this year.  

On the 8th of April, I received an email from Hiro, but it wasn't until the 9th that I checked my inbox.  The email said that if he paid for my travelling expenses, etc, would I be interested in attending his event (and teach) like I did before, in 2008.  I looked quizzically at Allan, my husband, and he said 'Go for it!' :)

It was kind of a mad rush from then on until I boarded the plane to Tokyo on Tuesday night, April 17.  On the 10th, right after my morning class, I got all the necessary documents together, went to the photo studio to get my mugshot taken, and headed straight to my ticketing agent in KL where she showed us (Allan & I) how to fill up the form for visa application to Japan (policies for application have changed since 2008). She checked to make sure all documents were in order and then told us to hurry.....the embassy closes at 4:30pm.  We hailed a taxi at 4pm and rushed to the Japan embassy.  Made it just in time, got our queue number and waited for our turn to submit my application.  

The reason for all this haste was because the day after, April 11th, is a national holiday to celebrate the coronation of our 14th King.  Added to that a Japan visa application takes 3 working days to process.  Which means that if I submit on April 10 (Tues), I'll only get the visa (if approved that is) on April 16 (Monday), since Weds is a public holiday.  I needed to fly Tuesday night!  And I wasn't about to purchase the air ticket until the visa is securely in my hands.  But as my good fortune would have it, the embassy would be open even on April 11 as they're not following all the gazetted holidays in Malaysia.  To cut a long story short, I got my visa on Friday, bought the air ticket the same day and started packing for Tokyo. :D

Next came the travel jitters.  I've travelled alone only once, that was to Sydney, but even then I was to meet Allan there so that wasn't too bad.  This time, I'd be travelling alone and upon arrival I'd have to get myself onto a bus to Shinagawa Prince Hotel where Hiro will be meeting me.  All of this seemed extremely daunting especially since there may be some difficulty in communication as I don't speak Japanese.

To prepare myself for the journey, I printed the necessary information about the limousine bus that would take me to my destination.....floor plan of where the ticketing counters and bus stations were located at Terminal 2 Narita airport....price of ticket... etc.  I also armed myself with a Japanese phrase book...lol!  I'm all set!.....I hope... ;)

IBIZA Swing

Looking at my blog entries in 2011, my last choreography was in June.  It's been 9 months since!  Gosh....!! Well.....9 months later...and here's my new baby: IBIZA Swing. :)

It's a one wall, phrased line dance done to the song IBIZA SWING by Dirk Daniels.  I will be sending in the stepsheet to the regular line dance sites, after which I'll post the link here for easy access to the said stepsheet.

Update:  Step sheet is now available under the MY CHOREOGRAPHY section. I've also submitted to Copperknob & Yipee. :)