Derbyshire/Toyota City - Decennial Twinning Celebrations 1998-2008

In 2008 Derbyshire County Council, South Derbyshire District Council and Derby City Council will be celebrating the decennial year of their twinning link with Toyota City in Japan. The twinning agreement between the two regions was signed on 16 November 1998.

Various activities will take place during the decennial celebrations, including:

Artist Exchange Programme - During May 2008 Yuhi Watanabe will be visiting schools in Derbyshire to give workshops on how to play the Shamisen.
Artist Exchange Programme. In September 2008 Debbie Hedderwick, a Derbyshire musician and dance teacher, will make a return visit to Toyota City to create a collaborative performance piece with local communities.
School Grounds Week. June 2008 will see three schools will take part in a Zen Garden project. These are Lady Manners School, Aldercar School and Draycott primary School.
Toyota City Junior Orchestra - Between July 21 and 28 2008 the orchestra will perform at various locations around the count including the Assembly Rooms, Pavilion Gardens and County Hall.
Annual School Exchange - Students from Derbyshire and Japan will take part in a school exchange in September 2008.
Derbyshire Youth Chorale - Between October 26 and November 3 2008 the group will visit Toyota City to perform at various locations.
Twinning Ceremony at Toyota City Hall - In November 2008 a ceremony will be held on November 1 to celebrate the twinning link. The chair and CEO from all three Derbyshire Councils will be invited.
Japanese Cultural Festival - On November 16 2008 a festival will take place in Derby city centre. This will include art, music, traditional dress, food and drink and Zen Buddhism.
Delegation visits willtake place during November 2008. 35 Toyota City residents will visit Derbyshire; the delegation will include dancers, musicians and an Ikebana master.
A twinning ceremony at Derbyshire County Council, County Hall will take place on November 17 2008 to celebrate the twinning link.
Japan Seminar Day - The Japan Local Government Centre is hosting their Japan Seminar Day at County Hall in Matlock. This will take place on November 18 2008. Senior representatives of both countries will be speakers at the event.

One of the projects is the artist exchange project. Yuhi Watanabe, a musician from Toyota City visited Derbyshire to deliver workshops to Derbyshire students and to do public performances. Yuhi plays the Shamisen, which is a traditional 3-stringed instrument.

During the three month project Yuhi visited the following schools: Lady Manners School, Highfields School, Draycott Primary School, Kniveton Primary School, Brimington Junior, Inkersall Primary, Holingwood Primary, Springwell Community School, Staveley Junior School, Anthony Gell School, St Joseph's Matlock, Swanwick Hall School, Japanese Saturday School, Melbourne Junior School, Melbourne Infants, Silverhill Primary School, Aldercar Community Language School, Ilkeston School.

In September 2008 Debi Hedderwick a Derbyshire dance teacher and classically trained musician, will visit Toyota City to take part in the project in Japan to teach Toyota City pupils about Derbyshire and teach them English folk tales through the medium of contemporary dance.

On July 21 2008, Derbyshire will host the Toyota City Junior Orchestra who will perform at various locations across the county during their week-long visit.