The last bon dance of 2007 came so quickly! It seems like only last week that we were at the Waipahu Plantation Village excitedly looking forward to a summer full of bon dances. “Time flies when you’re having fun” certainly applies here.

The video features scenes from the Autumn Matsuri, the last bon dance in Hawaii, held at the Hawaii Okinawa Center in Waipio on September 15, 2007. It is the largest (and only) indoor bon dance in Hawaii — and perhaps, the world. Special thanks to TheStuffGuy for manning the video camera as well as snapping stills of the bon dance posse to capture this event for the archives.

The “Dancing Fools” are already making plans for next year! Won’t you join us?

I was so busy enjoying myself at the concert, that I didn’t take much footage for the video. Besides that, we were in the front row, so our view was somewhat obscured by sharp angle of the stage. We had great views of the drummers/singers in the front, but couldn’t see the Rinken Band’s newest drummer (a very talented 10-year-old!) and barely caught glimpses of Rinken Teruya and Tomoko Uehara — until they stepped closer to the edge of the stage. I also found that I was running very low on memory on my 2 GB card by that time! (Mental note: Buy another 2 GB SD card for next year!)

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this short glimpse of the Rinken Band concert!

My first video of the Okinawan Festival was a sweeping overview of the scenes that I took in while spending two blazing hot days at the Kapiolani Park. However, I had enough footage to make “extended” versions of my favorite acts, which I’ll be sharing with you. No sense letting good footage go to waste, right?

Ryusei Daiko was definitely one of my favorite performance groups featured at this year’s festival. Their skill level and eisa expertise was unmatched. Not to mention, their shisa performance was one of the best I’ve seen. Check it out and let me know what you think!

Hanayakara is one of my favorite groups to watch. This multi-talented group is comprised of young girls ranging in age from 6 to 18. Their energy and skill is simply amazing and I am always inspired after watching them perform. This video is just a small glimpse of their performance at the 25th Okinawan Festival (2007) at the Kapiolani Park.

Highlights from the 25th Okinawan Festival held at the Kapiolani Park in Waikiki, Hawaii on Labor Day weekend, August 31 - September 2, 2007. Featuring a slideshow of the parade and clips of performances by Hanayakara, Ryusei Daiko, Sosakudaiko Ryukyu Yuihana, and the Rinken Band. (TRT: 4 min)