Name: Dave Iwataki's J-Town Bronzeville Suite
Start: 2025-08-22T19:00:00-07:00
End: 2025-08-22T21:00:00-07:00
Location: Grand Performances

Dave Iwataki's J-Town Bronzeville Suite

Grand Performances

An original jazz & dance piece celebrating a shared legacy of hope, home, and heart.

<a href="https://www.grandperformances.org/venue-info" title="https://www.grandperformances.org/venue-info" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">LOCATION, PARKING &amp; FAQ (Click here</a>) <h3>Schedule:</h3>6:00pm – Doors7:00pm – Welcome &amp; IntroAct 1) Little Tokyo Pre-WarAct 2) Bronzeville 1942-1944Act 3) J-Town/Bronzeville Post-War9:00pm – End of showDid you know that during World War II, Little Tokyo was temporarily renamed Bronzeville?After Japanese American residents were forcibly removed from their homes and incarcerated in internment camps, African American workers - many of whom had migrated from the Deep South in search of wartime jobs—moved into the vacant neighborhood. What followed was a brief yet profound cultural convergence: jazz filled the streets where taiko once echoed, gospel mingled with shakuhachi melodies, and two displaced communities coexisted amid systemic injustice and survival.J-Town/Bronzeville Suite is more than a performance - it is a living remembrance. Through original music, choreography, and narrative, this piece explores themes of identity, resilience, and shared struggle in a time of profound social upheaval. This is the untold story of two communities bound by history, geography, and the enduring power of culture.Composed, Produced, and Written by: Dave IwatakiDirected by: Alison De La CruzFilming Directed by: Akira BochNarrator: Greg WatanabeFeaturing Musicians:<ul><li>Madame Matsutoyo Sato</li><li>Marisa Kosugi</li><li>Theo Saunders</li><li>Nori Tani</li><li>Henry Franklin</li><li>Yuki Yasuda</li><li>Don Littleton</li><li>Keith Fiddmont</li><li>Nancy Sekizawa</li></ul>Featuring Dancers:<ul><li>Azuma Kotobuki Kai (featuring Nicole Kimiko Kaichi Matsuoka &amp; Miranda Emiko Kealy)</li><li>Pat Taylor’s JazzAntiqua</li></ul>Sponsors: J-Town/Bronzeville Suite is funded by a California Civil Liberties Public Education Program grant.

<h3>Dave Iwataki </h3>Dave Iwataki has recorded and performed with Hiroshima, Al McKay’s Earth, Wind and Fire Experience, The Grateful Crane Ensemble, Pointer Sisters, Olivia Newton-John, Peabo Bryson and The 5th Dimension. A composer for many documentaries for The Japanese American National Museum, a few of his original projects about the Japanese American experience includes "J-Town/ Bronzeville Suite” and "Barbed Wire and Hip Hop”.

<h3>About JANM</h3>The mission of the Japanese American National Museum is to promote understanding and appreciation of America’s ethnic and cultural diversity by sharing the Japanese American experience.As the national repository of Japanese American history, JANM creates groundbreaking historical and arts exhibitions, educational public programs, award-winning documentaries, and innovative curriculum that illuminate the stories and the rich cultural heritage of people of Japanese ancestry in the United States. JANM also speaks out when diversity, individual dignity and social justice are undermined, vigilantly sharing the hard-fought lessons accrued from this history. Its underlying purpose is to transform lives, create a more just America and, ultimately, a better world.

This program is made possible in part by our community partners at Yelp LA, the California Wellness Foundation, a grant from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Department of Arts and Culture, and the Japanese American National Museum.

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Dave Iwataki's J-Town Bronzeville Suite

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Dave Iwataki's J-Town Bronzeville Suite

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