Randolph-Macon College’s Japanese Festival Music Team, Suzume Bachi, has been selected by the Japan-America Society of Washington, D.C. (JASWDC) to perform at the National Cherry Blossom Festival in the nation’s capital on April 12 and 13.

The National Cherry Blossom Festival celebrates the arrival of spring and commemorates the gift of D.C.’s iconic cherry trees from Tokyo mayor Yukio Ozaki in 1912. The three weeks of festivities showcase the blossoming trees while honoring Japanese and American cultures, and the bond between the two countries. The event attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year.

The Japanese Festival Music Team brings to life the famous suzume odori dance festival on RMC’s campus. Suzume odori (Japanese for “sparrow dance”) is a festival performed only in Sendai City, the capital of Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. Also located within Miyagi Prefecture is Ishinomaki City, which has long-standing ties to Randolph-Macon.

Under the direction of RMC Asian Studies instructor Kyle Maclauchlan, who studied suzume odori for over ten years while living in Miyagi, Japan, students use authentic taiko drums, bamboo flutes, and folding fans brought from an instrument maker in Sendai.

The 18 students that make up the Japanese Festival Music Team will perform on stage from 3:30–3:45 p.m. on Saturday, April 12 and from 12:30–12:45 p.m. on Sunday, April 13.