Charles Hong
Korean drummer, performer & teacher
What the Nominator shared: I am nominating Charles because he has been teaching me Korean drumming (janggu and buk) for 15 years. In the beginning he did it for a nominal fee and only if we could pay. During covid he went online and continued to teach all of us. He shows up every week with the same enthusiasm for his craft and for his love of teaching. He has created a beautiful community within our group. This group that began with 4 of us has grown to over 40. Charles has shown relentless effort in creating a beautiful community which incudes many older people. He treats them with utter tenderness and they have a place every Saturday morning on the top floor of a church where they get to share music and corn silk tea. I would like to mention that I am the only non asian person in this group and I feel so accepted. Charles is the essence of kindness and humility. I have so much respect and it would be so wonderful for him to be recognized. Thank you!
Photo by Karen Reeves of Dragonfly ImageryIn their own words: Thank you to the Asian diaspora dance community for making me a better musician, composer, and accompanist. Looking forward to continued collaborations!
CanAsian Dance is situated in Tkaronto, a Mohawk word meaning “the place in the water where the trees are standing.” It is the traditional territory of many nations, including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples, and it continues to be the home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples.
This land is under the Dish with One Spoon covenant, an agreement between the Anishinaabeg and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. This land is a dish to be shared and cared for and we all share one spoon; the spoon is to be used to take only what is needed and to leave enough for others, thus ensuring a viable and abundant future. We recognize the enduring resilience of Indigenous peoples and we acknowledge that we are accountable to these relationships and these agreements.
We carry these values of responsibility in sharing and caring in abundance with consideration of not only ourselves but of our communities that we share together.
Land Acknowledgement
We are grateful to the following funding partners for their ongoing support
