If you’re planning on going to the inaugural Taste of Asia today (starting at 4 p.m.) or tomorrow May 1st starting at 11 a.m., here are the event schedules for performers & workshops. There will be three areas: Garden Courtyard, North Stage, and South Stage, plus workshops inside the Tucson Chinese Cultural Center, 1288 W. River Rd. This event runs till 9 p.m. both days. Phone # 520-292-6900. And there will be lots of Asian/Pacific Islander food for sale.

Tucson Sino Choir

GARDEN COURTYARD
Friday
 5:30 – Ryushinkan Dojo
 6:30 – Lim/Hendrix Tai Chi
 7:00 – Tucson Sino Tai Chi
 7:30 – Tucson Sino Martial Arts
Saturday
 11:00 – Southern Arizona Families with Children from China Carnival Asia (games)
 4:45 – J. Kim Martial Arts
 5:30 – Ryushinkan Dojo
 6:30 – Desert Dojo
 7:30 – Chinese Shaolin Center
 8:15 – Great Harmony Tai Chi

NORTH STAGE SCHEDULE
Friday
 6:00 – Chinese YoYo
 7:30 – Tucson Sino Choir
 8:30 – Tucson Sino Taiji
Saturday
 11:30 – Tucson Sino Choir
 12:30 – Vietnamese Alliance of Tucson
 1:30 – Philippine Mabuhay Cultural Foundation
 2:30 – Tucson Sino Martial Arts
 3:00 – Henry Shi, Zhao Chen & Wei Shi
 3:30 – Tucson Chinese School and YoYo
 4:30 – Arirang Korean Dancers
 5:30 – Odaiko Sonora
 6:30 – Arathi School of Dance
 7:30 – Sri Lankan Association

SOUTH STAGE SCHEDULE
Friday
 5:30 – Tucson Chinese School Lion Dance Team
 6:15 – Tucson Sino Martial Arts
 7:00 – Urvashi Dance Academy
 8:00 – Tucson Sino Dance
 8:30 – Leiola Hula Halau
Saturday
 11:15 – Odaiko Sonora
 12:00 – Muso (Japanese shakuhachi & koto)
 1:00 – Summer Thunder
 2:00 – Suzuyuki-Kai
 2:30 – Tucson Chinese School Lion Dance Team
 3:00 – Sound of Thunder
 4:00 – Tucson Sino Taiji
 5:00 – Tucson Sino Dance
 6:00 – Sound of Thunder
 7:00 – Urvashi Dance Academy
 8:00 – Leiola Hula Halau

WORKSHOP SCHEDULE – LIBRARY/CLASSROOMS
Saturday
 Allday – Kids Zone (Classroom B,D,F)
 12:00 – Japanese Tea Ceremony (Classroom A)
 12:30 – Steve Liu Tofu Cooking (Library)
 2:00 – In Search of Shangri-La, Bob and Claire Rogers (Library)
 2:30 – Japanese Tea Ceremony (Classroom A)
 5:00 – Sri Lankan Culture Presentation (Library)
 6:00 – Larry Leung, The Art of Guzheng (Library)

WORKSHOP SCHEDULE – DANCE STUDIO
Friday
 7:30 – Jayateerth Mevundi
Saturday
 10:00-12:00 – Jordan Misner Windriver Tai Chi
 1:00 – Taiko Drum Workshop
 2:30 – Edna Silva Tai Chi
 4:00 – Korean Dance Workshop
 4:30 – Obon Dance Workshop
 5:30 – Great Harmony Tai Chi
 6:30 – Lim/Hendrix Tai Chi
 7:00 – Barry Brownstein Tai Chi

Taste of Asia logo

Taste of Asia flyer

Come to the Inaugural Taste of Asia (a taste of food, music, cultural performances & exhibits) all at one site, the beautiful Tucson Chinese Cultural Center (1288 W. River Rd.) on two days, Friday April 30 and Saturday, May 1st.

This cultural event runs 4 to 9 p.m. on Friday, 11 to 9 p.m. on Saturday. Admission is $3 (children under 12 free). Food and beverage tickets will be sold separately.

Food vendors will be offering delicacies from the countries of Thailand, Laos, Korea, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, India, Kazakhstan, and China, and there will also be Filipino and Japanese food for sale at the Marketplace. The performers will be diverse as well: Tucson Chinese Association Lion Dance Team, martial arts dojos, tai chi, Leiola Hula Halau, Fine Stream Gamelan, Arirang Korean Dancers, Odaiko Sonora, Tucson Sino Choir, and many more.

I am especially looking forward to hearing a Japanese traditional musical duo “Muso” on Saturday at high noon, performing shakuhachi flute (by Paul Amiel) and koto (by master teacher Hiroko Coates).

Being Japanese American from Hawaii, I will be looking for my cultural foods and music, but also expanding my knowledge about all the other Asian/Pacific Islander cultures as well. This is similar to smaller Asian/Pacific Islander heritage events which have been held in Tucson, but this is the first annual Taste of Asia.

For further info, call 520-292-6900 or log onto www.tucsontasteofasia.com or www.tucsonchinese.org. The Tucson Chinese Cultural Center is on the north side of River Rd., just east of La Canada.

Everyone is welcome to taste a Taste of Asia 2010.

Aloha! A Ho’omana Hula Show Luau is coming up on Sunday, September 6 at 5 p.m. at the Inn Suites Hotel Copper room, 475 N. Granada Ave, Tucson. Luau tickets are only $20 for adults, $10 (for kids 10 and under).

luau poster

This luau is being put on by Leiola Galla (a kumu/instructor originally from Oahu) and her Leiola Hula Halau, with a pre-luau workshop on September 4-6 on hula and Tahitian dancing, featuring guest artists Tarita and Gerard Tehotu. Leiola has studied under hula masters Bella Richards, George Na`ope (founder of The Merrie Monarch Festival “hula olympics”), John Pi`ilani Watkins, Edna Aguil, Edith Kanakaole, Johnny Lum Ho, and Leilani Sharpe Mendes.

I hear that the luau food is being catered by Leiola’s husband Dino who has helped out cooking at my favorite Hawaiian restaurant, Lani’s Luau at 2532 S. Harrison Road out east. I blogged about Hawaii Island-born Leilani Dowling and her ono (delicious) food back in June.

For luau tickets call 520-777-5134 or write to leiolahulahalau@gmail.com.