” Ukulele master and jolly ambassador of aloha, JAKE SHIMABUKURO, will bring joy to the world this upcoming 2021 Holiday Season by delivering a special gift for all with the debut of his highly anticipated holiday show, JAKE SHIMABUKURO – CHRISTMAS IN HAWAII.

With only four strings, Jake is a humble master whose mission is to connect and inspire people. Whether one on one or in front of an audience of thousands, Jake shares a deep emotional connection with the listener that is open, magical and transcendent. Jake’s genuine love for people, the spirit of Holidays and his beloved home of Hawaii are at the forefront of JAKE SHIMABUKURO – CHRISTMAS IN HAWAII. It will be a warm welcome of merriment and wonder for the season.

In addition to his signature show favorites, this special show will draw on a vibrant catalog of holiday classics such as We Three Kings, Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer, O Holy Night, I’ll Be Home For Christmas and selections from his “Jake & Friends” album to be released in November 2021 (Willie Nelson, Bette Midler, Jack Johnson, Michael McDonald, Vince Gill & Amy Grant and more).

Along with bassist Jackson Waldoff and special Guests, singer-songwriter, Thunderstorm Artis on vocals and first-call percussionist, Taku Hirano, JAKE SHIMABUKURO will spread good cheer to all with his world-renowned live show in a fun take on the holidays sure to keep spirits bright. Exceptional and spirited JAKE SHIMABUKURO’S CHRISTMAS IN HAWAII is sure to become an eagerly anticipated annual family event.”

Nov. 27, 7:30 p.m. at Fox Tucson Theatre, 17 W. Congress St. Tucson

Tickets: $25 to $42.50:

TRANCEfigurations: A Butoh Meditation 

November 11-12-13, 2021 from 6:15pm to 8:30pm

Yume Japanese Gardens is proud to present, TRANCEfigurations, a meditative butoh experience presented by Funhouse movement theater, directed by Lin Lucas and featuring, Sherry Mulholland, Margaret Evans, Sabrina Geoffrion, Karenne Koo, Keita Tsutsumi, and Lin Lucas. Poetry  by Araceli Montano, Taylor Johnson,  Angelique Galaz with musical soundscape by Calm Whale. Visitors to this unique performance will encounter dancers dispersed throughout the refined splendor of the garden, each engaged in improvisational communion with the sights, sounds, and sensations of the natural environment. Feel the wonder.

A contemporary, avant-garde performance art, butoh is the product of the tumultuous, post-war Japanese experience. A seamless blend of dance, theater, improvisation, German Expressionist dance, and traditional Japanese performing arts, butoh compels both performers and spectators to investigate primal ideas, emotions, and energies bringing the collective unconscious into the light. 

The participation in this event will be scheduled in increments of 1 hour per time slot (6:15pm-7:15pm OR 7:30pm-8:30pm) to guarantee social distancing to our visitors. This is a limited admission event.

Advanced ticket reservation is required.

General admission: $35

Member admission: $25

https://www.tickettailor.com/events/yumejapanesegardens/594570#

Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and rise in cases due to the delta variant, the SAJCC Council decided in September 2021 that it would be safer not to host the popular Tucson Japanese Festival in January 2022. Hopefully the festival will return in January 2023. The 2021 Tucson Japanese Festival was also cancelled due to the pandemic, which came to Tucson in March, 2020: http://www.southernazjapan.org/sajcc-council-decides-to-cancel-annual-tucson-japanese-festival-for-2021/

Southern AZ Japanese Cultural Coalition started up this festival in January 2014 to celebrate the New Year’s with mochi pounding at Yume Japanese Gardens, then moved to the Rhythm Industry Performance Factory (home of Odaiko Sonora taiko drummers) for a year. Thereafter the festival grew and needed a larger venue, so it was held at Pima Community College Downtown for 3 years, then to the Tucson Chinese Cultural Center for 2 years. Each year the festival has grown in popularity and in January 2020 drew over 2,000 attendees.

The SAJCC Council vote to postpone was 11-0-2 (eleven yes, zero no, two abstentions).
SAJCC Council members are: Sharon Arceneaux, Crystal Akazawa, Carolyn Sugiyama Classen, Clint Cooper,  M. Fumie Craig,  Karen Falkenstrom, Yuki Ibuki, Miyako McKay, K Negley, Miki Pimienta, Ginger Sugimoto,  Dr. Min & Evelyn Yanagihashi. (Founding members are Crystal, Carolyn, M., Yuki, Min & Evelyn).

Info can be obtained from SAJCC Director Yuki Ibuki at yuki@southernazjapan.org.

Fall Ikebana festival at Yume Japanese Gardens on Oct. 21 to 24, Oct. 28 to 31, 2021

October 21-24/28-31, 2021 from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm

“Our seasonal Ikebana Festival is back!!!

Enjoy dozens of signature floral compositions highlighting the wide breadth of flower arrangement styles in Japan’s most distinctive art form.

General admission: $16 adults – Children under 15: $5 – Members: $10

Includes entry to the entire Gardens. (2130 N. Alvernon Way, Tucson)

Advanced ticket purchase is required.”

Purchase Tickets

Asian Americans: A History of Identity, Contributions & Challenges”

Oct. 19 @ 7 PM
Health Sciences Innovation Building (HSIB)
1670 E Drachman St, 85721

LIVE STREAM AVAILABLE

“Filmmaker Renee Tajima-Peña’s award-winning PBS docuseries Asian Americans is the most ambitious chronicle of the Asian American story in the United States. Told through individual lives and personal histories, Asian Americans explores the impact of this group on the country’s past, present, and future. The series traces the significant role of Asian Americans in shaping American history and identity, from the first wave of Asian immigrants in the 1850s to the social and cultural turmoil of the twentieth century to modern refugee crises in a globally connected world. Tajima-Peña will share the details of her journey crafting this groundbreaking series.

Renee Tajima-Pena is an Academy Award-nominated documentary filmmaker and Professor of Asian American Studies at UCLA. Tajima-Pena’s films focus on themes of immigration, race, ethnicity, gender, and social justice. Her most notable films include Who Killed Vincent Chin? My America…or Honk if You Love Buddha, Calavera Highway, Skate Manzanar, Labor Women, No Más Bebés. She is the series producer/showrunner of the PBS docuseries, Asian Americans, which explores the Asian American experience. Tajima-Pena co-founded the May 19 Project, a social media campaign focusing on the legacy of AAPI solidarity with other communities. “

Sponsored by Arizona Humanities.

REGISTRATION via evenbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/asian-americans-a-history-of-identity-contributions-challenges-tickets-182303082427