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7th Awaodori Festival on Saturday
The CNMI’s own Japanese cultural dance group is now in the midst of preparations for the 7th Saipan Awaodori Festival that will take place this Saturday.
PDM Promoters Inc. coordinator Sonia Siwa said the Saipan Awaodori Team has been busy rehearsing for the festival, which will be held at the Paseo de Marianas in Garapan.
Siwa said the Tokyo Tensuiren representatives from last year, including a Japanese group consisting of 300 members, will join the festival.
The festival will kick-start its first performance at the Fiesta Resort & Spa with over 40 members of the Saipan Awaodori and Tokyo Tensuiren.
After the Fiesta Resort performance, the group will move to the festival site at 6pm. At 6:30pm, the Shugen Daiko, a 300-member religious group of performers—will perform on stage at the Paseo de Marianas. The Saipan Awaodori Team will later join the performances on stage.
Siwa said it will be the first time ever for the Shugen Daiko group to join the Awaodori Festival.
“These Japanese cultural groups are great because the Tokyo Tensuiren will come and perform and Shugen Daiko will join for a short while. It will be a great festival,” Siwa said.
She said, though, that there won’t be a short parade this year due to the bad weather.
Siwa noted that Tokyo Tensuiren has been coming to Saipan to join the Awaodori Festival. The same group was supposed to join the Liberation Day parade and actually arrived on Saipan, but since the parade was postponed to a later date, they were unable to participate.
The Saipan Awaodori Team under PDM regularly takes part in community outreach activities, including a monthly cleanup of the Garapan area.
“We are inviting the public to join us this Saturday and experience Japan’s traditional cultural dances,” Siwa said.
For more information, call 234-6900.
