2023/6/17 : Japanese American National Museum’s “From Barbed Wire to Boogie Woogie: Conversation” program to feature camp survivors June Aochi Berk and Takayo Tsubochi Fischer, Saturday, June 17, 12:00PM
LOS ANGELES (Cultural News: Forwarded for Japanese American National Museum) – Celebrate the resilience of a community in struggle through personal storytelling, history, and swing music and dance!
Discover what it was like to be a young person in camp, explore how jazz and big band music impacted the youth in America’s concentration camps, and learn how to swing dance in this two-part program.
From Barbed Wire to Boogie Woogie: A Conversation with WWII Concentration Camp Survivors
Saturday, June 17, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
Join for a conversation with dance preservationist Rusty Frank who will explore what it was like to be a young person making the best of a difficult situation through conversation with survivors June Aochi Berk and Takayo Tsubochi Fischer. Berk and Fischer are both artists and performers who met in Rohwer, Arkansas at 10 years old and have continued a friendship through these years. This conversation will be grounded in the swing music and dance of the 1940s.
This program is presented in conjunction with the exhibition Don’t Fence Me In.
Tickets: Included in price of museum admission (General $16, Students/Seniors $9, Members FREE)
From Barbed Wire to Boogie Woogie: All Camps Swing Dance with The Fabulous Esquires Big Band
Saturday, June 17, 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Join for a social swing dance with live music from The Fabulous Esquires Big Band and opportunities for all to be a part of the experience. Rusty Frank will lead a beginner swing dance lesson, followed by an afternoon of popular tunes from the 1940s and a chance for all generations to connect through immersive history.
This program is presented in conjunction with the exhibition Don’t Fence Me In.
