Dance a common language even worlds apart

Cultures converged at La Conner High School on Friday, as a troupe of young Japanese dancers joined local youth in a celebration of dance and laughter.

Swinomish Indian Tribal Community Chairman Brian Cladoosby, Vice Chairman Brian Porter, and Swinomish Princess 2014 Mariah Clark joined in to welcome the “Goujin” dance troupe, who are traveling for 10 days across the U.S., mostly in Washington state, performing yosakoi — a competition dance form among students in Japan.

The approximately 20 middle and high school-aged Japanese students come from the Aizu region in the Fukushima Prefecture of Japan, which is just north of the area most strongly affected by the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and resulting nuclear disaster.

The gym became completely silent when the visitors explained what it was like for the teens where they come from. “We dance because it’s fun,” said one student.

“It helps us focus and not to give up when things don’t go as planned,” said another.

Swinomish dancers also performed, giving the students from Japan a rare opportunity to interact with Native American culture.

Through movement and emotion, no translators were needed.

La Conner kids got the message the visitors intended to leave behind, “movement cannot be done alone, it’s all for one, and one for all.”

La Conner senior Sean Hulbert said, “It was awesome to see people so talented working so hard. It was really cool how we got to interact with the two or three cultures, depending on how you look at it.”

Despite the more than 4,000 miles between their respective schools, the students weren’t all that different. “We talked to them after, and they were all about Justin Bieber and people like that,” Hulbert said.

The kids came over via the Kakehashi Project, which according to its official website-is a “fully funded, large-scale youth exchange program between Japan and the United States, promoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.”

The story may have another chapter someday.

La Conner Principal Marsha Hanson is interested in continuing the relationship. “We’d love it if they’d take us,” she said. “It does build understanding and increases the view of possibilities for the kids.”