Honolulu Museum of Art's Summer Concert Program

The cultural heritage of the 500-year-old Okinawan fishing village Itoman comes to life in this landmark concert featuring Tomoko Uehara (lead vocalist for internationally acclaimed Okinawan pop group Rinken Band) and dance master Atsuko Tamagusuku (founder of Udui Fukura dance company). It is the first time these two masters will share the stage internationally. In this rare appearance outside of Japan, the beloved performers will share stories of their childhood and of the community that they still call home. Both women grew up on the southern coast of Okinawa, an area known traditionally as Ichiman, or better known today as Itoman. As children, the pair were surrounded by the bustle of the fishing industry that had supported their community for generations; however, they were also surrounded by the reminders of the war that had come to their shores and devastated their population and landscape only a couple of decades before. The pride and fortitude that helped their community to rebuild itself after World War II would nurture Tomoko and Atsuko to become two of Itoman's brightest stars in the world of Okinawan performing arts.

Location info: 900 South Beretania Street, Honolulu, HI, us