Tonight, my fiance and my son attended the Yokwe Yuk Women's Club annual Kaleidoscope of Music event with me. Even though this event has been occurring for several years now, it was my first year to attend. The women's club runs, completely through volunteers, the Micronesia Handicraft Shop (selling local handcrafts), the Bargain Bazaar (selling donations from the community of anything and everything you can think of-like a consignment shop), and this dedicated ladies' group sponsors several fundraising events each year. A majority of these events go to support education in Micronesia, particularly on Ebeye and the outer islands, but the Kaleidoscope is set aside for senior scholarships for youth attending the base school right here on Kwajalein.
There were over 20 acts of all ages and kinds performing piano pieces, saxophone duets and ensembles, and several guitarists and full bands playing and singing modern day rock songs, classic Gershwin pieces and several folk and bluegrass type numbers. There were a few original pieces, including one by a 13 year old future song writer along with some old hat performers who sing and play for all sorts of island functions simply because they enjoy it. For the first time, an entire family got up on stage playing piano, bongos, and guitars while the only daughter (aged around 12) of the family of 5 sung "I Hope you Dance." It was amazing! There were also some hip hop and lyrical dancers from the dance recital last weekend doing a repeat performance, and the ever popular "Pure Polynesia" band, which is who you call on when you desire true island style musical accompaniment at a birthday party or other such important celebration. The entire night of performances was well worth the two plus hours of sitting in the audience along with the small monetary amount it cost to attend. For an itty, bitty island that doesn't have any museums, orchestras, playhouses, and other sorts of cultural events and places to visit, it sure makes up for it in the amount of big, big talent brought to the atoll through the people who choose to live here and share their love of music and their skills with us! Life is what you make of it, and even on a small piece of coral in the middle of the ocean, you can find a whole lot of talent and culture, as long as you are just willing to get out of your house and support the local organizations and events happening around town!
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