You are cordially invited to the second annual Ho'ike 2008 Hula Performance in New York City on Sunday, May 4th from 2 to 5 pm. This Ho'ike is a hula recital to share dance and music. Students of Kumu June Kaililani Tanoue, who is in the Maiki Aiu Lake lineage through her Kumu Michael Pili Pang, will present Hula 'Auana and Kahiko dances for your enjoyment.

The Ho'ike 2008 will take place at Chelsea Studios at 151 West 26th Street (between 6th and 7th Avenues), Studio #507, NYC.

There is a suggested donation of $5 at the door. Keiki's free. Aloha attire welcome!

Please RSVP: Yoshie at yyano@itoen.com by Friday, April 25th.

There will be a dress rehearsal at the Dance Theatre Workshop at 219 West 19th St. in New York City on Saturday, May 3rd from 3:00 to 6:00 pm.

This special workshop will be held at the Center for Remembrance and Sharing at 123 4th Ave. - 2nd Floor in New York City. The workshop will be held on Saturday, May 17th from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm.

How do you bring a genuine spiritual practice into your daily life, in a world that increasingly distracts, fragments and shortens your attention? How do you still the mind enough to see the sacredness of everyday life? Where is spirituality in the practice of hula?

Join Sensei Robert Joshin Althouse and his wife, Kumu Hula, June Kaililani Tanoue as they explore these topics in a workshop weaving together meditation and hula.

Sensei Robert Joshin Althouse is the Abbot of the Zen Community of Oak Park - Empty Sound Temple. An ordained Zen Buddhist priest and fully empowered Zen teacher in the White Plum lineage, Rev. Althouse received transmission from Roshi Jikyo Nicolee McMahon in 1999.

June Kaililani Tanoue is a Kumu Hula, a master teacher of the Hula. She studied with Kumu Hula Michael Pang on the Big Island of Hawaii. She also studied la'au lapa'au, Hawaiian spiritual healing with herbs, with Henry Auwae. She has an MPH, Master of Public Health, from the University of Hawaii, Manoa. As well as teaching hula classes at the Zen Community in Chicago, Kaililani also teacher hula in New York City. She is also an ordained Zen Buddhist priest.

Suggested contribution of $30 will go towards the building of a hula mound in the new Japanese Zen Garden at the Empty Sounds Temple grounds in Oak Park, IL.

For our Sunday program on May 11th, everyone is invited to bring a photograph of your mother. We will place these photos on the altar and dedicate the merits of our service to all of our mothers.

The Children's Dharma Class will take place on Sunday, May 18th from 9:00 am to 10:45 am. The class is taught by Susanne Fairfax and Rev. June Ryushin Tanoue.

The class includes stories, some simple meditation and mindfulness exercises, singing, hula and more. The class is open to all ages. Cost is $15 per child

Call 708.445.1651 or email kaili@zencommunity.org to register your child.

Have you ever wanted to write - or do you write - but you've never given yourself enough time? Join us for two hours of writing and sharing.

Sharon Myoku Ankrum, who holds two degrees in literature and an MFA in creative writing, will facilitate the workshop. Ankrum has published poems in journals like the New York Quarterly. She has run writing workshops for teachers through the New Jersey Writing Project in Texas.

She is now facilitating this workshop at the Zen Community of Oak Park. The next workshop will be Saturday, May 10th from 10 am to 12 noon. To begin, the participants will write to prompts. From there, we'll pull from the wealth of ideas that have been crafted by Natalie Goldberg, Julia Cameron, Deena Metzger, and others.

Dana offerings are appreciated.

New Beginners Hula: Thursday 6:00-7:00 pm; includes basic footwork and hand movements - hula auana. Adults and children are welcome. $15/class.

Intermediate Hula: Wednesday: 6:30-7:30 pm; Includes basic footwork and hands - hula auana. Adults with at least a year's dance experience. $15/class.

Hula Kahiko: Wednesday: 7:30-8:30 pm; Includes ancient dance with permission of Kumu. $15/class ($25 for two Wednesday classes.)

Come dressed comfortably. If you are interested or have questions, call Kumu June Kaililani at 708.445.1651. You can also email her at kaili@zencommunity.org.

THE LOCATION FOR CLASSES: Dance Theatre Workshop, 219 W. 19th St. (between 7th and 8th Ave)

Saturday, May 3, No regular classes. There will be a dress rehearsal at DTW from 3 to 6 pm.

Second Annual Hoike Performance at 2:00 pm at Chelsea Studios.

This Samu Sesshin takes place from May 23-25. It begins on Friday night at 7 pm. It continues through Sunday, ending at 4 pm with a communal dinner.

This sesshin still includes meditation each day, but it also includes longer samu work periods. Most of the samu will be done in the yard.

Cost: Members $95, nonmember $125.

The Coming Home Practice Circle for Veterans has been moved to the Unitarian Church of Evanston. The church is located at 1330 Ridge Ave. in Evanston. Their phone is 847.864.1330. All veterans of any wars are welcome to join this circle. The circle will continue on the last Friday of every month.

This practice circle will be facilitated by Joshin Sensei. Also leading this group will be David Pyle and Seanon Holland. They are both veterans and students at Meadville Lombard Theological School. A member of the Zen Community of Oak Park, David is a US Army Chaplaincy Candidate. He has served in Panama, Colombia, El Salvador and Bosnia y Herzegovina. Seanon served in the Marine Corps in Kosovo, Zaire and Iraq, and is preparing to return to active duty as a chaplain.

This gypsy jazz music, which was developed by Django Reinhardt, is a form of swing jazz, which has become a highly developed genre of music. All musicians and instruments are welcome. We also invite anyone who would like to come and hang out to join us. Bring along some food and drink and enjoy the music.