‘Sadako and the Cranes’ Told Through Dance

‘Sadako and the Cranes’ Told Through Dance

By Gabrielle Nomura Gainor,
For The North American Post

I recently worked with the organization “From Hiroshima to Hope” as well as a local video production company “Trial and Error Productions” to create a new dance film called “Sadako and the Cranes.” This was shot on location at the Peace Park (NE 40th Street, Seattle) and at Green Lake.

The film concept involves a young Japanese American girl at the Peace Park looking at the statue of Sadako Sasaki holding origami cranes. The girl’s mother explains that Sadako was a young girl who folded 1,000 cranes and had a message of peace for the world. The living girl is looking at the statue, which then suddenly comes to life (through the help of movie magic) with the spirit of Sadako (portrayed by a dancer). The cranes also come to life, similarly portrayed by dancers. The young girl is left with a message of peace and inspiration. The ending of the dance draws people’s attention to the work of “From Hiroshima to Hope,” dedicated to honoring the Hiroshima and Nagasaki victims with its annual event on August 6 at Green Lake.

In addition to creating the film together, my dancers and I also performed it at “From Hiroshima to Hope.” The dance there was similar to the film. Essentially, I choreographed and created a dance like I normally would for a stage performance — that’s what I presented on August 6.

YouTube Film: Gabrielle Nomura Gainor channel, “Sadako and the Cranes,” (6 min, 25 sec)　https://youtu.be/es3FmLxcCsA