Events

Time and Location

March 21, 5pm ET
DAR Constitution Hall (Washington, DC) & Online

About

The Japan Foundation (JF) will send three groups of artists active in Japan and overseas to perform at the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C., U.S.A. 

At the opening ceremony, Ayaka Hirahara, known for her hit song featuring Japanese lyrics set to the classical masterpiece “Jupiter,” will deliver a special vocal performance.

There will also be a performance by Futago Oni Kenbai, who preserve a traditional performing art from Kitakami and Oshu cities in Iwate Prefecture called Oni Kenbai, which is recognized as one of UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage “Furyu-odori” dances. 

In addition, a stage performance will be presented which is directed and choreographed by internationally acclaimed choreographer Takehiro Ueyama. Through these diverse Japanese stage performances, we hope to promote a better understanding of Japan in the United States and increase interest in a wide range of Japanese cultural genres. 

【Artist Profiles】 

Ayaka HIRAHARA 

Debuting in 2003 with the hit song “Jupiter,” Ayaka Hirahara quickly gained widespread recognition as a singer, earning numerous honors including the Artist Award at the Japan Record Awards and the Japan Gold Disc Award. In addition to her singing career, she has been active in a wide range of fields, including musicals, voice acting, television dramas, and film dubbing. 

In 2015, she established the Ayaka Hirahara Jupiter Fund to contribute to society and support various initiatives through music. She also performed the national anthem at the opening match of the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Her musical theater credits include Love Never Dies, Beautiful, Mary Poppins, Fist of the North Star: Hokuto no Ken, and Moulin Rouge! The Musical. 

Her latest single serves as the theme song for the Expo 2025 Osaka–Kansai pavilion “PASONA NATUREVERSE,” titled “Thank You, Life / To the Future of 8 Billion.” 

Since her debut, she has released 35 singles, 12 digital singles, and 29 albums—including cover albums and best-of compilations—as well as 15 DVDs and ７Blu-ray titles.  A Blu-ray recording of the final performance of the The Swinging Classics! concert tour, co-directed with Masataka Matsutoya, is currently on sale. A full orchestral album is scheduled for release in fall 2026, and a concert tour with a full orchestra has also been announced.

Takehiro Ueyama 

A native of Tokyo, Take Ueyama moved to the United States in 1991 to study dance at The Juilliard School in New York City. Upon graduation, he was invited to join the Paul Taylor Dance Company, touring internationally for eight years. He also performed extensively with Kazuko Hirabayashi Dance Theatre. In 2003, Take made his choreographic debut with “Tsubasa,” presented at SUNY New Paltz with fellow Taylor dancers. Two years later, he founded TAKE Dance, a company known for its powerful athleticism and evocative blend of Eastern and Western aesthetics. Drawing on his Japanese heritage and a deep reverence for nature and humanity, Take’s work explores themes of beauty, resilience, compassion, and the duality of light and darkness in the human experience.  

His choreography has been presented by major institutions and festivals including The Kennedy Center, The Joyce Theater, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Central Park SummerStage, PS/21 Chatham, The Judson Memorial Church, Winspear Opera House in Dallas, Harris Theater Chicago, Spring to Dance Festival in St. Louis, and Washington D.C.’s National Cherry Blossom Festival, among others.  

His work has been commissioned and performed by companies and schools such as Newport Contemporary Ballet, BalletX, Columbia Ballet Collaborative, Dallas Black Dance Theatre, ArcDanz, The Juilliard School, The Ailey School, UW-Madison, and SMU Meadows School of the Arts.   Take has received international recognition for his choreography. “Sakura Sakura” was a prizewinner at the International Modern Dance Choreographic Competition in Burgos, Spain. He was one of four choreographers selected for the 2006 “Free to Rep” program at Florida State University’s MANCC and became the first choreographer to receive the S&R Foundation’s Washington Award in 2010. Other honors include the 2015 Jadin Wong Award for Emerging Asian American Choreographer (Asian American Arts Alliance), a 2022 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship, the 2023 Danse Mirage Foundation Choreography Grant for Bamboo Dreams, and the 2025 Gross Family Prize from the Charles and Joan Gross Family Foundation.

Futago Oni Kenbai 

Futago Oni Kenbai is a traditional Japanese performing arts group from Iwate Prefecture, located in the Tohoku region of Japan. The group performs Oni Kenbai, a Buddhist ritual dance with roots dating back over 1,200 years. The name Oni Kenbai, meaning “Demon Sword Dance,” comes from the demon-like masks worn by performers—symbolic representations of Buddhist deities. The repertoire includes sword dances as well as performances using fans, bare hands, and acrobatic movement, with both solo and group formations and ceremonial chanting. 

One of 13 Oni Kenbai troupes in Kitakami, Futago Oni Kenbai proudly carries on this sacred tradition. Celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, the group is dedicated to rigorous training and the preservation of this powerful, elegant, and dynamic art form.

For more information: Cherry Blossom Festival Opening Ceremony DC

This event is co-presented with the National Cherry Blossom Festival.