Theme: Asian-Pacific Islander
Artists from Indonesia set out on a cultural exchange with the Chicago theater scene. Watch a demonstration of Javanese dance, and learn all about the monkey dance from Bali.
Asia, World Cultures, Folklore, Dance

Lesson: Gyotaku Japanese Fish Printing
By acquiring knowledge of historical and cultural qualities unique to this particular art form, students can gain an understanding of how Gyotaku reflects a part of Japanese history
Animals, Asia, Visual Arts, Japan

Lesson: Noh Theater
In learning about the history, theatrical elements, music, dance, and costuming, of Noh Plays students are also comparing and contrasting these to the other theater elements
Asia, Folklore, History, Theater

Lesson: Japanese Woodblock Prints
This lesson explores the history and evolution of the Japanese woodblock print
Asia, Visual Arts, World Cultures

Lesson: You Too Can Haiku
This lesson will introduce students to the Japanese poetic form called haiku
Asia, Poetry, Japan

Arts Days: March 23, 1910: Master of Japanese Cinema
Arguably the best-known Japanese film director in history, Akira Kurosawa also edited, produced, and wrote screenplays for movies. His first movie, Sanshiro Sugata, premiered in 1943. He went on to make another 29 movies, his most famous being Rashomon, Seven Samurai, Ran, and Throne of Blood. Each of his films features some of his cinematic hallmarks: the use of multiple cameras with which to shoot a scene from different angles, and the personification of weather.

He often used rain, snow, or fog to heighten drama and increase tension during scenes. Kurosawa also was demanding as a director. He wouldn’t tolerate challenges to his creative decisions, and he insisted his actors wear their costumes for weeks before shooting began. He thought this would help them understand their characters better.
Asia, Japan, Movies & Movie Stars

Video: Sreevidhya Chandramouli
A faculty member at the University of Oregon at Eugene, Sreevidhya Chandramouli plays the vina (plucked Indian lute) in the Karaikudi tradition, combining voice and vina in her performances.
Music, World Cultures, Asia, India

Video: Shin Tanaka: Paper Toys
Shin Tanaka is a Japanese artist, graffiti writer, paper toy creator, designer who has worked with some of the biggest names in street fashion and designer toys.
Asia, Visual Arts, Japan, Popular Culture

Video: Beijing Traditional Music Ensemble
Beijing Traditional Music Ensemble's extensive repertoire and virtuoso musicians demonstrate the range of distinctive styles that developed in each region for erhu (fiddle), pipa (lute), and other instruments.
Asia, China, Music, World Cultures

Video: Indonesian Dance
In appreciation for their three days of intense study and practice at the Hubbard Street Dance Center, the Indonesian visitors are happy to share their country’s traditional Javanese dancing with members of the Chicago dance company.
World Cultures, Asia, Dance, Young Artists

Interactive: India: Rangoli Maker
In India, one traditional way families greet guests, prepare for celebrations, or just add a sign of good luck to their homes is to make an artistic kind of “welcome mat” called a rangoli (pronounced rung-OH-lee). Create your own rangoli with our online tool.
India, Visual Arts, Asia, World Cultures

Interactive: Fireworks: Art of the Explosion
The Art of the Explosion follows artist Cai Guo-Qiang and pyrotechnician Phil Grucci through the preparation for the performance art piece “Tornado: Explosion Project for the Kennedy Center.”
Asia, China, Visual Arts, Jobs in the Arts

KC Connection: maximum INDIA
The Kennedy Center celebrates the arts and artists of India
Dance, Music, Asia, World Cultures, India

Lesson: Puppets on the Move: China and the Silk Road
Through map-making, research, and class discussions, students will gain an understanding of the dynamics of trade in China along the Silk Road.
Asia, Geography, History, Puppets, World Cultures

Lesson: The Monkey Dance: Exploring Balinese Culture
The Kecak is a Balinese dance drama based on the Hindu epic Ramayana, which was compiled between 500 and 400 BC.
Asia, Dance, Physical Activity, World Cultures, Animals

Lesson: Chinese Calligraphy
Students will experience the art and culture of Chinese calligraphy and Chinese ink painting through watercolor painting and Chinese instrumental music.
Asia, Language, Visual Arts, World Cultures, China

Lesson: Island Breezes: Exploring Hula Dance
A hula dance is a choreographed interpretation of a poetic text, or mele, that tells a story through hand and arm gestures and rhythmic patterns.
Dance, Folklore, Geography, Asia, World Cultures

Video: Oki Dub
Oki is the world's most prominent performer of the tonkori, a long, flat instrument that produces its own distinct sound and is the only stringed instrument in the Karafuto Ainu musical tradition. Oki’s contemporary approach has won him praise in Japan and around the world.
Asia, Music, Musical Instruments, World Cultures, Japan

Video: Shigeo Kawashima: Wa
The Japanese have a long and deep relationship with bamboo, and their culture has produced the most beautiful art in this medium. Shigeo Kawashima's sculptures take bamboo as an artistic medium to a new level. His work WA ("Ring") was commissioned for the festival and constructed on site.
Asia, Nature, Visual Arts, Japan, World Cultures

Video: Terra Cotta Warriors
The Terra Cotta Warriors are a collection of 8,000 statues that were buried over 2,000 years ago in the tomb of China's first emperor Qin Shi Huang. Three of the statues - two soldiers and a horse - were sent to the Kennedy Center for display during the Festival of China.
Asia, China, Folklore, Visual Arts, World Cultures

Video: Yunnan Singers, Dancers & Musicians
Artists of the Yi and Wa ethnic groups from Yunnan Province-the most ethnically diverse in China-demonstrate their unique folk traditions in this excerpt from the Kennedy Center's free Millennium Stage show.
Asia, China, Folklore, Music, World Cultures

Video: Teater Garasi in Chicago
Indonesian actors visit with members of the Chicago-based theater companies The Civilians, Silk Road Theatre Project, and Redmoon Theatre
World Cultures, Asia, Theater, Young Artists, Backstage

Audio Series: Sounds of China
Chinese music dates back thousands of years and sounds different from Western music thanks to important differences in tone, musical scale, pitch, instrumentation and individual instruments. With instruments crafted from a wide variety of materials, including, bamboo, silk, gourd, clay and stone—-and played in a diverse range of styles, from single voices to richly melodic orchestral pieces--Chinese music is as varied as the people who create it.
Asia, China, Musical Instruments, Music, World Cultures

Theme: China
An army of buried warriors, lion dances, dancing shadows and a tornado of fire... experience the vibrant diversity of the arts across China.
Asia, China, Dance, Music, Visual Arts, World Cultures

Lesson: The Chinese Lion Dance
Dance in the Chinese New Year with your K-2 students
Animals, Asia, Dance, China, Folklore, World Cultures