Diablo JA News

June 2007  

Minutes of the J.A. Meeting

Meeting Date:  June 6, 2007

President Pat Baba called the meeting to order at 7:40 PM.

Corrections/Additions to Previous Minutes

None

 

Treasurer’s Report:  David Ziesmer presented the treasurer’s report. 

 

 Acknowledgements/Announcements

     Thank you to the following families and groups for their generous donations:

1.  $200 donation received from the Exercise Class to the JARCC Building Fund.

 

Affiliated Clubs/Chairpersons Reports:

 

 

 

JARCC – Sam Sunada

·         We have installed new linoleum in the multi-use room and the lobby.

·         Concrete to be repaired in the front walkway at the end of the ramp.

Buddhist Fellowship - Sharon Akiyama

  • Obon service 7/24 at 7:30 p.m.. All welcome to attend.

 

Jr. YBA – Sam Sunada

  • They will be helping the Shinwakai group on July 21st. The planned activity is Bingo. 

Nippongo Gakuen – Dave Zeismer

  • New President was voted in: Sandi Svoboda.  All other board members remain the same. 
  • There will be a meeting in July to finalize registration Day on Sat. Sept. 8th.
  • Thank you to Pat Baba and Sam Sunada for attending their previous board meeting
  • Gakuen purchases their own paper for copier use and request a place in the office to store it and have it clearly labeled as theirs.
  • Members were reminded of their obligations to work the summer festival and sell raffle tickets.
  • Vacuum cleaners not working properly.  Request made to provide bags and to have them repaired, if necessary

Athletic Club – Dave Uemura

  • Basketball sign-ups for next year took place on Friday June 1st.
  • Graduation dinner was successful.  12 graduates in attendance.  The scholarships went to: Lisa Espinosa, Elizabeth Simpson, Alyssa Onizuka, Chiyo Angevine and Chikara Yuki.
  • A lovely Thank you note was received from Lisa Espinosa expressing how much the JA club has done for her over the years

Building Superintendent – Jon Yokoyama

 

  • Bees have been sprayed for again.  Please be careful when in the gym, as live ones are still being found.
  • Club Presidents need to contact Jon and let him know how many sets of keys their clubs have, and who is in possession of them.

Gardeners’ Club – No Rep

Ikenobo Club - Pat Baba

 

  • No report.

 

JASEB –Yukio Kitagawa

 

·         They will have their annual golf tournament on August 6th in Oakland.

·         Their annual walk-a-thon will take place 9/27.

 

  Judo Club - Leslie Hisaka

 

  • Congratulations to Ryan Hisaka who placed first, Toshi Kanazawa who placed second and Sydney Kanazawa who placed third at the S.F. City College tournament on May 20th.  This was the last tournament of the season until Sept.  Overall, the judo club was very successful this season in tournament play.

 

Diablo Kendo Club – Mike Espinosa

 

  • Congratulations to Adrienne Aono who passed her 4th degree black belt test!
  • No practice on June 24th.

 

Shinwakai – Yukio Kitagawa

 

  • There will be no meeting in June.
  • Family Talent Night will take place on Saturday June 23rd at 6 p.m. It is a potluck.  All clubs are to supply Talent for this very fun evening.  Please submit applications for talent to Yukio by June 13th so the program can be made up.
  • July 21st will be bingo night.  The Jr. YBA will help with this event.  Thank you for their support.
  • Looking for younger new members to take over responsibilities of the Shinwakai.  Please see Pat Baba or contact Yukio if willing to help

 

Summer Festival – Ron Onizuka

 

  • Construction begins Monday July 9th 7-9 p.m. Every Monday and Wed. night there after from 7-9 p.m.  The week before festival construction takes place every night.

   

   Membership Chairperson – Mike Espinosa

 

  • No report.

 

  Old Business

 

  • Scholarships were awarded at the Graduation Dinner.
  • The Constitutions and By-Laws were submitted by the Diablo Taiko Club to the Board for their review.  The board voted to accept them into the JA club. We extend a warm welcome to this new club.  They are accepting new members. There is  a ‘biography’ of the new instructor at the end of this newsletter.

  New Business

 

·         REMINDER:  All affiliated clubs are required to send a representative to each JA club mtg!!!!!!!!!!!!  Meeting. takes place the first Wed. of the month at 7:30 p.m. Clubs will be FINED if a representative is not present.

Adjourned: 8:20  Recorded by:  Leslie Hisaka
Approved by Pat Baba,  Next mtg:  Wed, June 6, 2007

 

 

 

Diablo Taiko Club – Instructor Biography
 
 
 
Clare "Jiro" Hess has been playing taiko drums for the past 8 years.  
He began playing with Emeryville Taiko in 1999, and then in 2001 with  
the small Berkeley group, Tatsumaki Taiko.
 
He has studied from well-known taiko talents Kenny Endo, Tiffany  
Tamaribuchi, Jimi Nakagawa, PJ and Roy Hirabayashi (of San Jose  
Taiko) and Kelvin Underwood (former member of the Japanese taiko  
group Ondekoza), and from visiting Japanese taiko groups Kodo and  
Shidara and many others.
 
Jiro has been on stage for about 60 taiko performances and has taught  
classes for both Emeryville Taiko and Tatsumaki Taiko, stressing  
form, energy and fun in addition to strength and rhythm.
 
His performing arts interests go beyond just taiko. He is an active  
member of Hiten Miyabi-kai, a San Francisco group that studies Utai  
and Shimai, the singing and dancing components of Japanese Noh  
theater, under Masayuki Namiyoshi of the Hosho School of Tokyo.
 
He is also student of the minyo shamisen with Hideko Nakajima of  
Richmond, CA. Nakajima-sensei holds the level of "shihan" which is  
the highest level awarded by the Fujimoto School of Tokyo. Jiro  
recently performed with Nakajima-sensei and fellow shamisen students  
at this year's Sakura Matsuri in San Francisco.
 
His most memorable experience, however, was in a recent trip to  
Japan, when he visited the taiko group Shidara in the mountain  
village of Toei. There, he participated in the local all-night  
"Hanamatsuri" festival, and was given the rare opportunity to perform  
an "Oni" dance with the local dancers.
 
Jiro currently plays shamisen and taiko as a member of the new  
Japanese folk music performance group, Ensohza, located in the East  
Bay. He's also the co-founder and organizer of a fue club and a taiko  
club that were started recently and meet regularly in Emeryville.
 
Jiro is a new member of the Diablo JA Club and is looking forward to  
meeting everyone and participating in any way he can.