East West Players’ 46th Anniversary Visionary Awards to Honor Kimora Lee Simmons, Hiroshima and TAIKOPROJECT

East West Players (EWP), the nation's premier Asian American theatre, celebrates its 46^th Season, themed "Languages of Love," with its captivating Anniversary Visionary Awards Dinner & Silent Auction, and salutes those who have made a valuable impact on the Asian Pacific American (APA) community through their artistic excellence and support of the Asian Pacific American performing arts. The acclaimed fundraising event will take place on Monday April 30, 2012 at the Universal Hilton. Proceeds from the gala will benefit East West Players' educational and artistic programs.

"EWP and the APA performing arts community continue to expand our rich legacy with a bold new canon of exuberant artistic voices that reflect our complexity and make a larger impact on the national landscape," says Tim Dang, Producing Artistic Director of East West Players. "This year's Visionary Award Honorees span three generations of artists and producers, musicians and designers whose expression broadens the scope of APA artists' impact and artistic form." 

Tamlyn Tomita (Karate Kid Part II, Joy Luck Club) and Parvesh Cheena (NBC's Outsourced, Barbershop 1 & 2) will serve as mistress and master of ceremonies of the event.

Award-winning composer Nathan Wang (Beijing Olympics/Shaolin Monks, Steven Spielberg's Oscar Award-winning film The Last Days) will serve as the evening's Musical Director.

The evening's performers include MTV's America's Best Dance Crew Season 5 champions Poreotics, silk aerialist Sarah M. Moser and 14-year old musician and songwriter Russell Dimaano.

The 2012 Visionary Award Honorees are:

Kimora Lee Simmons has been described as a "savvy businesswoman, author, philanthropist, producer, top model, television personality, Tony Award winner and - according to Forbes Magazine - is one of the top 'hardest working mothers in Hollywood.'" (KLS.com) As a fashion and entertainment leader of Korean, Japanese and African American ancestry, she has raised the visibility of Asian Pacific Americans as trendsetters on a global scale.

The Grammy-nominated and groundbreaking ensemble Hiroshima have blended jazz, pop, and rock with traditional Japanese folk music and instruments. The resulting sound was a pioneering voice in the contemporary world music movement of the late 20th century. Hiroshima is comprised of Dan Kuramoto (keyboards/ woodwinds/ composer/ producer), virtuoso June Kuramoto (koto/ composer), Kimo Cornwell (piano/keyboards/composer), Danny Yamamoto (drums/percussion), Dean Cortez (bass) and Shoji Kameda (taiko drum/percussion).

TAIKOPROJECT was founded in 2000 by a group of young, emerging taiko drummers, seeking to create a truly American style by blending traditional forms with an innovative and fresh aesthetic. Since winning the prestigious Tokyo International Taiko Contest in 2005 and beating all the Japanese taiko groups in attendance, TAIKOPROJECT has continued to garner critical acclaim and an amass an impressive resume, which includes: performing at the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards; and working with some of the world's most well-known music artists, including Stevie Wonder, Usher, 30 Seconds to Mars, A.R. Rahman, John Legend, Kanye West, Justin Bieber and more.  

Current major sponsors of the gala include: PLATINUM CIRCLE - CBS Corporation, Comcast/NBC Universal, Mattel, Inc., Southern California Edison, The Walt Disney Company; GOLD CIRCLE - The Thomas R. Bancroft Family, Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc.; SILVER CIRCLE - LA Gay and Lesbian Center, Sony Pictures Entertainment, David L. Mauss, Arthurs/Nakamoto, Tara Inouye Hill – Trustee, Hugh O'Mara Living Trust; BRONZE CIRCLE - Tim Dang & Darrel Cummings, Paramount Pictures, Superstar Friends of Teri Pham, and Union Bank. Comcast/NBC Universal is the sponsor of the VIP Reception.

East West Players' 46^th Anniversary Visionary Awards Dinner and Silent Auction will be held on Monday, April 30, 2012 at the Hilton Universal City,

555 Universal Hollywood Drive, Universal City, CA 91608. The no-host reception and silent auction will start at 6pm. The dinner and awards program will start at 7pm. Tickets are $175 - $1,250. Full table sponsorship packages are also available. For more information on East West Players' 46^th Anniversary Visionary Awards Dinner and Silent Auction, please visit www.EastWestPlayers.org

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