The Japanese American National Museum, 100 N. Central Ave. (at First Street) in Little Tokyo, will present a two-part event, “From Barbed Wire to Boogie Woogie,” on Saturday, June 17.
This program will explore the impact of swing music and dance on youth in America’s concentration camps through personal storytelling, history, and dancing.
From 12 to 1:30 p.m. in the Tateuchi Democracy Forum, join 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 the Rohwer camp in 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.
Tickets are $16 general, $9 for students and seniors, free for members, and include museum admission.
From 2 to 5 p.m. in Aratani Central Hall, join a social swing dance with live music from The Fabulous Esquires Big Band and opportunities for all to be a part of the experience. 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.
Tickets are $10 general, $5 for members.
Note that tickets to each part of the event are sold and priced separately. Contact [email protected] with any questions.
Presented in conjunction with the exhibition “Don’t Fence Me In: Coming of Age in America’s Concentration Camps.”
For more information, call (213) 625-0414 or visit www.janm.org.