About the Shizumi Kodomo Dance Troupe

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The Shizumi Kodomo Dance Troupe Structure and Board

SKDT is a non-profit organization recognized as tax exempt by the IRS under Section 501(c)(3). SKDT is incorporated and registered as a charity in the state of Maryland. SKDT is governed by a volunteer board. Current board members are:
Bob Buker
Kiyomi Buker
Susan Hane, President
Gretchen Jones
Andrew Manale
Shizumi Shigeto Manale
Jeff Schwartz, Vice
President/Treasurer
Atsuko Shigihara

SKDT Theme (Hiroshima Peace Celebration)
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About SKDT

The Shizumi Kodomo Dance Troupe Theme

The Shizumi Kodomo Dance Troupe (SKDT) has been developing the theme, "Seeds of Hope" since in 2007. Seeds of Hope was inspired by an exchange of gifts between All Souls, Unitarian in Washington, DC, that helped ease the pain of war on both sides of the Pacific Ocean. In the summer of 2010, SKDT was invited to perform in Hiroshima, Japan, during the Peace Celebration at the end of July and beginning of August 2010, marking the 65th anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb. The troupe performed at Honkawa Elementary School, Fukuromachi Elementary School, and Innoshima Gakuin.

At the end of World War II in 1947, Dr. A. Powell Davies, minister of All Souls, Unitarian church in Washington, DC, organized the sending of a gift of school supplies and athletic equipment to Japanese children from two primary schools and an orphanage in Hiroshima. Dr. Davies looked into their faces and could see no hate or animosity. He reasoned: "What did these children have to do with Pearl Harbor? These children who are so strangely eager to 'learn democracy?'" To show their appreciation, the children sent pictures they had made to the church. These pictures were bridges between these two war-torn countries.

In 2006 Shizumi Manale was asked to assist with a delegation from Japan visiting All Souls, Unitarian. A member of the delegation asked about the pictures. Almost forgotten, the pictures were found stored in cardboard boxes in the church attic. Though some of the artwork had been damaged by age and water, all have been restored and are once again being displayed.

The Shizumi Kodomo Dance Troupe has been inspired by those pictures and is working with Shizumi Manale and Boru Television who are making a documentary film about them and the children, now elderly, who made them. The film will include SKDT performing in Hiroshima at the Peace Celebration.

We Appreciate Your Support

Your support will enable our dancers to continue to perform throughout the Washington, DC, area and beyond. The Shizumi Kodomo Dance Troupe is a non-profit organization. Our dancers and their families pay their own way. Just click the "Donate Now" button to access the Network for Good web site, a safe, secure, online site that aides non-profit organizations. For more information about the troupe and how your donation is used, just send us an e-mail.

About the Shizumi Kodomo Dance Troupe

The Shizumi Kodomo Dance Troupe is a children's dance troupe under Artistic Director, Shizumi Shigeto Manale. The troupe was formed in 2000 when the President's committee on the Arts and Humanities asked Artistic Director, Shizumi Shigeto Manale to create a children's dance troupe for the White House Millennium Celebration. The troupe is currently comprised of young dancers from diverse ethnic backgrounds ranging in age from 4 to 17 years old and exemplifies what is best about our world. A truly multicultural company, the children have discovered that dance is an international language.

In creating the Shizumi Kodomo Dance Troupe, Ms. Shigeto Manale hopes that dancers and audiences alike will be inspired to connect to other cultures and thus, contribute to the understanding and friendship between East and West.

The members of the troupe share a passionate interest in expressing their love for Japanese culture and dance. Over the years, the Shizumi Kodomo Dance Troupe has enjoyed performing and educating audiences at many events.

In the Washington, DC, metropolitan area, the Shizumi Kodomo Dance Troupe has performed at the Kennedy Center, the Opening Ceremony of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, the Japan-America Society Sakura Matsuri, the Freer Gallery of Art, the Adams Morgan Day Festival, the National Children's Museum, and the Otsukimi (Moon Viewing Festival) at the National Arboretum to name a few. The troupe has also performed at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania and was part of a documentary featuring Artistic Director, Shizumi Shigeto Manale filmed for a European public television station. Our more recent performances are catalogued on the Schedule page and many can be viewed on the Photo & Video Gallery pages