9.11テロ事件後の対処へ前線に 出ては指揮した元NY市長のジュリアーニ氏で、警察の質と力を高めNYの治安を良くしたのが彼の偉業のように思われて有名ですが、事件前は公邸での私的な 女性問題と独裁的と言われた行政でした。
確かに彼の貢献度は認めるけど、NY市民の楽しみなストリートダンスさえ厳しく取り締まり許可な しでは認めない自由の女神が泣くような行政でした。
このパレードが発起した経緯は、NY市民のストリートパフォーマンスを応援するデモン ストレーションとして始められました。治安の考え方が彼と市民との違いが大きくかけ離れていたからでしょう。
数々のダンスを官能しては、２０年以上前に住んでいたイーストビレッジの街を懐かしげに歩くと、住んでいた９丁目はその頃よりもおしゃれなブッティクやお店がぎっしりと並んでいます。昔のアパートから二件目に近所では陽気で気さくと有名な友達のビリーライアンのお店 KATINKA（インド系ブッティク 前で彼に出会いました。近所仲間であっただけでなく２０年以上前にトリオバンドを組んで活動していた時期もあるとても懐かしい思い出も語り合い嬉しく思いました。半年前に彼には会っているので、特にリサに会えてとても喜んでいました。（笑）
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On Saturday, May 22, my friend Heather and I got together to see the New York Dance Parade, to be joined later by Aki. We made one tactical error; we were at the parade start (21 Street and Broadway), but should have gone down to the area around Union Square Park. We were waiting for Aki, who got a late start, to join us, so we didn't want to move downtown. As a result, we missed some of the parade (my bad).
The Dance Parade is a "new tradition" here. It got started in 2007 and like everything else does here, it has grown in the last 3 years.
Why a New York Dance Parade?
To honor all the many dance forms that were born here - from Jitterbug (IMHO the great-grandmother of rock dancing) to disco to punk, and are still alive and well, and also to showcase the hundreds of talented multi-cultural dance groups that we have here.
Confession: for many years, I was a member of Ichifujikai, a Classical Japanese dance group (Fujima-ryu). I'm 5'5" tall, so I was usually cast as a young samurai (blush)
Dance, for me at least, is a healthy way of expressing emotion. Although some dancers are much better than others, there are no bad dancers as long as they're true to themselves.
Anyway, the parade then converged on Tompkins Square Park in the East Village, where the mother of all dance shows took place. From 3pm to 7pm, thousands of groups were presented. I wanted to stay to the end, but my companions got tired/hungry so we left before it was over. and we missed the Japanese Performers. :-(
When Aki and I were first married, we lived on East 9th Street; so on the way back home we had a chance to see an old friend, Billy Lyons, a fine sax player and the owner of Katinka, a great little East Village Indian Boutique. Every year, his wife Jane travels to India to find and import beautiful items crafted in small Indian villages. (thankfully, not all Indians are IT personnel for banks and internet companies, not yet, anyway)
Katinka is small, but chock full of interesting items - sandals, jewelry, soft colorful cotton skirts, incense and more. If you're in the East Village area, be sure to stop in, say hello, and pick up something unique. It's located on East 9th Street, just east of 2nd Ave. You can't miss Billy's portrait on the wall next to the store, and if you're very lucky, you may be able to hear him playing his soulful sax outside.
Next year, if all goes well, we WILL make better plans, and we WILL get to see the entire dance festival! We hope that you will, too!
Meanwhile, you can find your own Manhattan adventures!
For ideas, see our Manhattan or Free Live Shows, or Free Films pages, and let us know how it goes.
(The video below is long, so please give it time to load.)
日本語/明 English: Liz Y
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