New Japan World Showcase Entertainment

[wdrive]

Disney is auditioning for females for the Japan Pavilion.

The audition website states:
Disney Creative Entertainment is seeking female performers for a new offering at the Walt Disney World® Resort, near Orlando, FL, celebrating the Tokyo neighborhood of Harajuku, known internationally as the center of Japanese youth culture and fashion.

Potential performers should be comfortable with fashion modeling, as well as posing and interacting with Disney Park guests while in costume. Knowledge of history and interest in Japanese culture and language is a plus.

Interestingly, they are not specifically looking for Japanese performers.

 

[Nemo14]

Potential performers should be comfortable with fashion modeling, as well as posing and interacting with Disney Park guests while in costume. Knowledge of history and interest in Japanese culture and language is a plus.

a"plus"??? really??? I remember a time when it would have been a requirement!!

 

[dreamfinder]

I'm thinking they will be coming up with "streetmosphere" style harajuku girls. The apparent lack of requirement of Japanese ancestry is a bit disappointing, think anyone would be offended if they had performers of other Asian heritage working in Japan?

 

[Bolt]

a"plus"??? really??? I remember a time when it would have been a requirement!!

The mariachi band in Mexico is not all Mexicans, fyi.

 

[wdrive]

The mariachi band in Mexico is not all Mexicans, fyi.

The Canadian lumberjacks aren't all Canadian either. (I think)

 

[ToTBellHop]

I'm thinking they will be coming up with "streetmosphere" style harajuku girls. The apparent lack of requirement of Japanese ancestry is a bit disappointing, think anyone would be offended if they had performers of other Asian heritage working in Japan?

They probably think the average guest would notice. The guest-favorite loggers aren't Canadian are they?

 

[dreamfinder]

They probably think the average guest would notice. The guest-favorite loggers aren't Canadian are they?

Nope, but then again I don't think I could tell a Canadian from an American just by looking at them. But the second I hear "aboot" or "eh" or "pahk the cah" I could tell exactly where they were from.

 

[Bolt]

The Canadian lumberjacks aren't all Canadian either. (I think)

Also pretty sure Sergio from Italy and Server Amusant from France are Cirque performers from Russia. Don't quote me on that.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Nope, but then again I don't think I could tell a Canadian from an American just by looking at them. But the second I hear "aboot" or "eh" or "pahk the cah" I could tell exactly where they were from.

A bad acting school?

I don't think I can tell a Japanese person from a Japanese American who cares as much about her Japanese heritage as I care about my French heritage. I'll be more offended if they hire a Japanese American who is then forced to speak English as though it is their second language. Surely they wouldn't do this, right? Surely they wouldn't also tell a Floridian to say eh and aboot?

 

[wdrive]

A bad acting school?

I don't think I can tell a Japanese person from a Japanese American who cares as much about her Japanese heritage as I care about my French heritage. I'll be more offended if they hire a Japanese American who is then forced to speak English as though it is their second language. Surely they wouldn't do this, right? Surely they wouldn't also tell a Floridian to say eh and aboot?

From what I can gather from the audition info, any female can attend regardless of their heritage. They are not specifically looking for people with a Japanese heritage.

 

[Hakunamatata]

The mariachi band in Mexico is not all Mexicans, fyi.

The Canadian lumberjacks aren't all Canadian either. (I think)

Also pretty sure Sergio from Italy and Server Amusant from France are Cirque performers from Russia. Don't quote me on that.

Allot of profiling going on in here.

 

[bhg469]

Nope, but then again I don't think I could tell a Canadian from an American just by looking at them. But the second I hear "aboot" or "eh" or "pahk the cah" I could tell exactly where they were from.

It sounds more like a "aboat" and ive never heard a canadian say cah unless you're referring to a one of the chowdah heads of America.

 

[bhg469]

Allot of profiling going on in here.

You mean to tell me you're not Kenyan?

 

[bhg469]

So let me get this straight.... They're new form of entertainment in the Japanese pavilion is Asian (not just japanese) girls dressing like goth clowns?

 

[RandomPrincess]

So let me get this straight.... They're new form of entertainment in the Japanese pavilion is Asian (not just japanese) girls dressing like goth clowns?

I would imagine they will be sticking to the cutesy side -

 

[dreamfinder]

A bad acting school?

I don't think I can tell a Japanese person from a Japanese American who cares as much about her Japanese heritage as I care about my French heritage. I'll be more offended if they hire a Japanese American who is then forced to speak English as though it is their second language. Surely they wouldn't do this, right? Surely they wouldn't also tell a Floridian to say eh and aboot?

I picked those specific words only because my coworkers in Canada do talk like that, and other coworkers in Massachusetts don't know how to pronounce their r's.

I guess if whomever they hire can pull of the look, then it's ok. But many of the styles I think they will be trying to emulate just always look off to me when I see local kids trying to cop the style. Not sure if they are just lacking the swagger or what, but when I see pictures of people in Harajuku, they can pull off the look vs the local kids who just seem to be playing dress up.

And I guess if they hire a straight up American, (yes going sterotypical here) blond hair, blue eyes etc wouldn't seem as strange as if they hired someone of Korean or Chinese (or insert other Asian ethnicity here) ancestry. Either own it and do it right, or make it obvious that you aren't going for accuracy. From my understanding of the pride most Japanese still take in their culture, having someone else role playing it may be taken as an insult.

 

[dreamfinder]

And now that someone has brought up the lolita look, whats the line on how long until someone comments about lifestylers waiting to pose for pictures with CMs dressed up like little girls?

 

[wdwmagic]

Also pretty sure Sergio from Italy and Server Amusant from France are Cirque performers from Russia. Don't quote me on that.

Yep they are.

 

[ItlngrlBella]

I would imagine they will be sticking to the cutesy side -

I would hope so because this wouldn't go over well:

 

[Hakunamatata]

You mean to tell me you're not Kenyan?

I'm actually German Eskimo.