Paying Tribute to Lost Loved Ones #ShadowPeopleProject

Photo by Peter Cooper

“This piece is dedicated to my father, the original piece is called Presley,” began Mana Hashimoto, a blind dancer and choreographer, “Elvis Presley is my father's favorite artist. When I was little I used to sing together with my dad, he used to play beautiful guitar even though he was a medical doctor he had this side as a very talented musician…Unfortunately my father passed away when I was 13… He used to ask me if I love him and because of the age of 13 I once said if you keep asking me if I love you I’m not going to tell you I love you and he never asked me that question again. I really regret that when he passed away, that’s the only thing that I wanted to share with him but he is not there anymore”

Hashimoto extends the tribute to all those who have experienced the loss of someone they love, paying special honor to those that died in the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945.

This performance took place in Times Square on August 6th and was part of the #ShadowPeopleProject - a movement dedicated to bringing a voice to the voiceless, a face to the faceless, and a name to the nameless through art, music, and events. Shadow People Project was inspired by the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, where thousands of people were blown away, leaving only their shadows printed by heat on streets, bridges, walls, and granite steps. 

[8/6/15]