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TCF in Azerbaijan: Celebrating a 30-year friendship between Azerbaijan and Japan

By True Colors Festival Team

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July 28, 2022

True Colors Festival in Azerbaijan ran for two spellbinding nights of music, song and dance.

Radiant lights, resplendent performances, rich cultural exchange. These are just some words to describe the True Colors Festival in Azerbaijan, held in the capital city of Baku on June 24 and 25. 

As Azerbaijani and Japanese performers linked hands to dance under the stars, and the audience lining the sidewalks of Baku’s Seaside Boulevard joined in the revelry, the differences in language, culture, even abilities, faded away…

It’s tough to capture in words the magic of the event, so we’ll let the photos do the talking.

Special thanks to the National Ambilympic Federation of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Embassy of Japan in the Republic of Azerbaijan for their support for the event.

True Colors Festival Azerbaijan official t-shirt
A festival crew member wearing the True Colors Festival in Azerbaijan official tee!  

Volunteers holding the flags of Japan and Azerbaijan
Festival volunteers waved the flags of Azerbaijan and Japan while festival goers eagerly awaited the commencement of the event as dusk descends. 

 One for the album! The Azerbaijani cast pose for a photo in all their festival finery!
One for the album! The Azerbaijani cast pose for a photo in all their festival finery!

The festival didn’t go unnoticed. iTV, a public television channel in Azerbaijan, interviewed b-boys MORIKO JAPAN, Ryoma Suzuki and Fatima Akbarli, a contestant of the reality singing competition, Central Asia’s Got Talent.
The festival didn’t go unnoticed. iTV, a public television channel in Azerbaijan, interviewed b-boys MORIKO JAPAN, Ryoma Suzuki and Fatima Akbarli, a contestant of the reality singing competition, Central Asia’s Got Talent.

Like people of all ages around the world, our Azerbaijani audience were seen capturing snippets of the concert with their phones.
Pics or it didn’t happen! Like people of all ages around the world, our Azerbaijani audience were seen capturing snippets of the concert with their phones.

 Audiences were treated to performances from distinguished artists such as Azerbaijani guitarist Fargan Arifoglu, seen here with belting out pieces accompanied by musicians on traditional instruments and the guitar.
Audiences were treated to performances from distinguished artists such as Azerbaijani guitarist Fargan Arifoglu, seen here belting out pieces accompanied by musicians on traditional instruments and the guitar.

Singer Fatima Akbarli also took the stage!
Singer Fatima Akbarli also took the stage! Catch her impressing judges on Central Asia’s Got Talent.

A dazzling song and dance performance for the spellbound audience.
A dazzling song and dance performance for the spellbound audience.

 Japanese violinist Yusuke Anazawa wowed the audience with his soulful playing and virtuosity.
Japanese violinist Yusuke Anazawa wowed the audience with his soulful playing and virtuosity.

Japanese Taiko drummer Akiko Tomida performs a piece
Taiko percussionist Akiko Tomida studied Japanese drumming from the age of four and performed at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics opening ceremony. Her philosophy in life is to be “like the sun for everyone” and “to feel with (her) mind’s eye even if totally blind.”

B-boys MORIKO JAPAN, Ryoma Suzuki from Japan showing off their moves to the Azerbaijani crowd.
B-boys MORIKO JAPAN, Ryoma Suzuki from Japan showing off their moves to the Azerbaijani crowd. Besides the solo performances, artists from the two countries performed together too!

Artists from both countries enjoying a fun collaborative dance item.
And explosive it was as seen from the smiles on Japanese musical actress Hiroko Higashino with fellow Azerbaijani artists.

Artists from both countries enjoying a fun collaborative dance item.
Artists from both countries enjoying a fun collaborative dance item.

Azerbaijani performers commemorate the Japanese culture by donning their costumes. A male and female performer link arms and dance while dressed in a Japanese attire and white dress respectively in this perfomance
Azerbaijani artists put up performances commemorating both cultures and appreciating the diversity and similarities between the two countries.

Azerbaijani artists form a circle an jump in mid-air
The traditional Azerbaijani dance performance was a feast for the senses!

 An Azerbaijani performer who has dwarfism is spotted in an emotional moment
A special moment captured, as an Azerbaijani performer immerses in her performance.

An Azerbaijani performer is seen choked with emotions. She is decked out in her performance finery
The festival was heart-stirring for performers and audiences.

Cast dressed in their full costumes fill the stage and its foot while a video plays on in the background on the stage through a projected screen
Artists out in full force as the magical festival comes to a close.

The True Colors Festival team traveled to Baku with artists and wheelchair influencer Ryoko Nakajima who covered the event! Left to right: Taiko drummer Akiko Tomida, Ryoko Nakajima, musician Showji Kawasaki, b-boys MORIKO JAPAN, Ryoma Suzuki, violinist Yusuke Anazawa, and musical actress Hiroko Higashino.
Another for the album! The True Colors Festival team traveled to Baku with artists and wheelchair influencer Ryoko Nakajima who covered the event! Left to right: Taiko drummer Akiko Tomida, Ryoko Nakajima, musician Showji Kawasaki, b-boys MORIKO JAPAN, Ryoma Suzuki, violinist Yusuke Anazawa, and musical actress Hiroko Higashino.

A performance by Azerbaijani artists dressed in colorful traditional costumes with each artist holding an umbrella. The umbrellas are all colored differently.
Not a shine that could be dimmed! This colorful scene was made even brighter by the smiles on the faces! 

True Colors Festival and our message of One World, One Family does not end in Baku. Don’t miss our next special event, True Colors Festival: THE CONCERT 2022, coming your way this November, where over 90 artists from more than 12 countries will gather for a never-before concert experience!  

 

You might be interested in the following article:
Meet the Family Interview with TCF Azerbaijan Producer Miki Nozaki

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True Colors Festival

TCF is a long-running international festival of performing arts. We celebrate diversity and inclusion, and embrace the fact that we are One World, One Family. We choose the arts as our platform, for its power to move, inspire and heal.

As a festival, TCF brings people together to generate exchanges, innovation and creativity; and transform the way we relate to each other.

Presented by The Nippon Foundation, TCF brings diverse artists and audiences together through concerts, documentaries, music videos, film screenings, children's programs, musicals, workshops and other activities. Since 2006, festivals have been organized in Southeast Asia and Japan, with more than 1,200 artists from more than 30 countries connecting with a global audience in more than 80 countries.

TCF invites you to journey with us, to enjoy, experience, share and spread our consciousness of being One World, One Family.

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