CDBF News: February, 2011

News from the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival

February 2011

What's great about Lunar New Year is that it starts on February 3rd and lasts through the full moon on February 18th! While this year is the Golden Rabbit for Chinese, it's the Year of the Cat in the Vietnamese horoscope. Cats are people born in the years of: 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, and 1999 and tend to be sensitive, gentle and kind. People who are born in 1951 and 2011 are Metal Cats who tend to be resilient, determined and strong.

Race registration is open, and for extra savings, take advantage of the early-bird special through March 1st. If you know any Metal Cats, be sure to recruit them for your team.

For you culinary artists and merchandise moguls, CDBF will start taking applications for the Taste of Asia and Marketplace on March 1st. Be sure to check our website for details.

And, March 1st is also the date for submitting applications for the Performing Arts, Gateway to Asia and Cultural Unity Hip Hop stages.

Speaking of performing arts and Hip Hop, scroll down to meet your Cultural Unity Chairs, Jared Peters and Leo Tsuo who are masterful B-Boys themselves.

Did you know that the Operations Committee is primarily run by volunteers? CDBF is very fortunate to have passionate volunteers who help in many capacities from year-round Operation Committee members to festival day help. If you're looking to put in some volunteer time and meet some fun people, let us know. We have many volunteer opportunities available.

If you're suffering from cabin fever, be sure to check out the plethora of events happening this month!

Last, but not least, back by popular demand, CDBF is hosting the 4th Annual Commemorative Poster Contest! Check out the details below...

Until next time,

Erin Yoshimura
Executive Director

On your mark, get set, register!

Paddles up!

Race Team registrations are now being accepted for the 11th Annual Colorado Dragon Boat Festival, which will be held July 30-31 at Sloan's Lake Park.

Registration for Youth and Adult teams will be accepted until May 2nd, 11:59 pm MST.

As an added bonus, your team will get a 5% early-bird discount if you register (and pay) by March 1st, 11:59pm!

You can read more about the 2011 Race Registrations on our website!

If your team is "in it to win it," be sure to check out the extra team practices and DRACO link for winter conditioning and paddling techniques!

See you on the water!

Calling all artists...4th Annual Poster Contest now open

CDBF is now accepting entries for the Fourth Annual Commemorative Poster Contest.

Send us your creative designs that capture the excitement and cultural richness of the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival for 2011. We're accepting submissions until May 1, so start brainstorming ideas!

The top design will be used on festival merchandise and/or promotions. Plus, the winners will have bragging rights for a full year and earn some cold, hard cash!. First place gets $300, second place gets $200 and the third place artist gets $100.

Submit your artwork today!

Note: the 2010 poster contest winner is graphic designer Laurie Romberg from Evergreen, CO.

Meet the Cultural Unity Co-Chairs!

jared peters cultural unity co-chair

One of the most popular areas we've added over the years is our Cultural Unity Stage, where young people flock to share their skill at the street styles of hip-hop dance and spoken word performances. Since 2007, Cultural Unity has been surrounded by standing-room only crowds all weekend.

What? Hip hop's not Asian, you say? Au contraire!

Hip hop is international and Asians have earned their respect in the hip-hop community. Watch just an episode of the MTV series "America's Best Dance Crew" and you'll see how Asian Americans have embraced hip-hop as a creative outlet.

Every year, the Cultural Unity Stage spreads positive vibes through an array of musical, dance, and cultural performance from the communities top artists and brings it all back, park jam style, where everyone, Asian and non-Asians alike, Leo Tsuo

come to get down amidst one of Colorado's top festivals!

Jared Peters has been the Cultural Unity Chair since the stage was launched, organizing the stage and showcasing the talent of the local "B-Boy" community. He's the founder of Denver's Soul Rhythm Productions, and serves as co-chair of Cultural Unity this year.

Jared says the theme for the 2011 stage is "Bridging generation and cultures through HipHop." He adds, "This year's theme will highlight the unity of Asians, at the same time highlight the intercultural diversity of Hip Hop. This year we also hope to shine some light on the participation of many generations old and young...."

Leo Tsuo helped launch Cultural Unity, and is thrilled to serve as co-chair with Jared for the 11th annual Colorado Dragon Boat Festival.

"Cultural Unity has been a unique opportunity for me to share my pride in Asian culture and Hip Hop culture!," says Leo. "CDBF is a great opportunity to bring a park jam for the Colorado Hip Hop scene where the best DJs and dancers come out to chill to a fresh positive vibe... and to bring an opportunity for the Hip Hop community to gain a better understanding of Asians in Hip Hop!"

Between the two of them, Jared and Leo will being a whole new level of cross-cultural performances to Cultural Unity this summer, and make hip-hop culture hipper than ever!

One Korea ... A Path to Global Peace

In today's globalized era, it's more important than ever in the past half century that we strive for long-term and sustainable peace throughout Asia, and one of the hottest of hot spots in the past year has been on the Korean Peninsula. While Kim Jong Il prepares for his son to succeed him, North Korea has made provocative military attacks against South Korea.

Now more than ever, the world would benefit from unification between the two Koreas.

To that end, the Denver Chapter of the National Unification Advisory Council (NUAC), in cooperation with the government of the Republic of Korea and the University of Denver's Korbel School of International Studies, is hosting a forum, "ONE KOREA...A PATH TO GLOBAL PEACE" that will include national and inyernational experts about Korea and unification, along with a reception, dinner and live traditional Korean entertainment.

The keynote speaker for the evening will be Christopher R. Hill, Dean of Denver University's Korbel International Studies program and former Ambassador to South Korea.

The event will be held

Saturday March 5, 5 pm at Marriott South

, 10345 Park Meadows Dr. in Littleton. For more information or to reserve attendance (RSVP is required) contact NUAC asap at

janehan11@gmail.com

Upcoming Asian Community Events

calendar 2 For the most complete calendar of events happening in Colorado's APA community visit asiaxpress.com.

Do you have an upcoming event that you want to share with the local APA community? If you would like your event listed in the next CDBF monthly newsletter, please email a brief description to media@cdbf.org.

'Ma, ...entering the Space' Music for Kotsuzumi and Shakuhachi

Date: Friday, February 18, 7:30 pm

Place: Kelly's Barn, 1360 Sumac Ave. (North Boulder, just east of Broadway)

Cost: Admission $15 (Students/Seniors $10)

Japanese music masters Kansuke II (David Wheeler: Shakuhachi/bamboo flute) and Tasajo Mochizuki (Kotsuzumi/hand drum, Nagauta Shamisen/3-string lute and voice) join forces and experience that explores both the classic and the new for these iconic Japanese instruments, from their classical roots in Zen Buddhism (shakuhachi), Noh drama (ko-tsuzumi) and Kabuki theater (Nagauta), to modern applications that reflect these traditions of music, theater and dance. Reservations/Info 303-449-2935

Teacher Training Workshop on Internment
Date: Saturday Feb 19, 8am-4pm Place: Denver University Sturm College of Law, 2255 E. Evans Ave., Denver
Cost: $20 Mile-Hi JACL sponsors a day-long workshop aimed at 4th-12th grade teachers (teacher credits given) but open to the public that will include speakers and panels about the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Contact

Suzy Shimasaki at milehiJACL@gmail.com or 858.361.6691 for more information.

Day of Remembrance
Date: Sunday, Feb 20, 1-3 pm
Place: Denver University Sturm College of Law, 2255 E. Evans Ave., Denver
Cost: FREE
The Japanese American community each year marks Feb. 19 as the Day of Remembrance. On Feb. 19, 1942, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which led to the internment of 120,000 people of Japanese heritage in the US during World War II. DU and the Mile-HHi chapter of JACL commemorate DoR with guest speakers, an exhubit of artifacts from Camp Amache in Colorado, and a reception. Check http://portfolio.du.edu/amache for more information.

Monsters of Shamisen
Date: Monday, Feb 21, 7:30 pm
Place: King Center Cincert Hall, Auraria Campus, Denver
Cost: FREE ADMISSION
Kevin Kmetz and Mike Penny are masters of shamisen, a traditional Japanese stringed instrument, and have molded it to not just Japanese music but to contemporary rock, classical and bluegrass styles. The duo have competed with the greatest shamisen players in the world in Japan, and they're touring the US to showcase the instrument's stylistic range. This performance is sponsored by the Consulate General of Japan in Denver. Call 303-352-3500 for more information.

Movie: Princess Ka'iulani
Date: Friday, Feb 25, 6 pm (ive hula performance at 6:30, movie at 7 p,m)
Place: Broomfield Auditorium, 3 Community Park Rd, Broomfield
Cost: $9 (includes food & drink)

Sponsored by Halau Hula O Na Mauna Pohaku dance troupe, this 2009 movie is based on the true story of a Hawaiian princess' attempts to maintain the independence of the island against the threat of American colonization. For mofr information and to buy tickets: http://www.wix.com/maunapohaku/movie

Pandas International 11^th Annual Chinese New Year Gala

Date: February 26, 2011, 5:30-8:45 pm

Place: Palace Chinese Restaurant, 6265 E. Evans Ave.

Cost: $55

The event will feature a silent auction, a wine garden, Chinese entertainment, a multi-course Chinese feast , and an up- to- date report on the most recent developments in the United States and abroad regarding the Giant Panda. (303) 933-2365 or info@pandasinternational.org

An Evening in Bali

Date: Sunday Feb. 27, 7:30 pm

Place: DecorAsian, 1787 South Broadway, Denver

Cost: $15

Immerse yourself in the rich culture of Bali, Indonesia when Denver-based Gamelan Tunas Mekar brings to DecorAsian's magical atmosphere authentic music and dance from the island of Bali. Enjoy the unique, tropical sounds of shimmering compositions and dynamic flurries of percussion performed on the exotic bronze instruments of the Balinese gamelan. More at http://www.tunasmekar.org/

About the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival