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Michael Allen Martin

@mmartart

1.6K

followers

2868

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Visual Artist
photography/film
Kendama けん玉
@meca_houston
@gloken_dama Sensei
@houstonkendamadojo
@houstonkendamameetup
@texaskendamaopen

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Saturday meet ups are BACK in October @levyparkhouston !!!!!!!!

Saturday October 3rd, 10th, 17th, and 24th from 2:00-5:00pm all skill levels, skill toys and flow welcome!

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What do you think a kendama sounds like?🤔
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#texaskendamaopen #kendama #kendamacommunity #fyp

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Performance!!

@mmartart will be performing on the @texaskendamaopen stage at Japan Festival Houston all weekend!!! Michael is a seasoned kendama player and teacher with over 14 years of experience . His performance combines freestyle and special performance kendamas such as the @ozorakendama_official 10 cup and 5 spike kendamas! There’s always crowd participation so get ready to come on stage and try some kendama!!!

Join us this weekend September 12th-13th at Japan Festival Houston in Hermann park!!!!

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Sponsors!!!!

@meca_houston is a nonprofit organization that’s been serving the Houston community through cultural art activities and events such as they’re dia de los muertos festival and sunburst summer arts camp! What makes MECA so special is their commitment to education and youth with Kendama! For over 10 years kendama has been a huge element of the MECA summer camp and afterschool programs. You can find @mmartart at MECA during the year teaching after school kendama programs as well as in the summer camp. We hope to see community members and students attend Japan festival Houston and TXKO 2026.

Join us this weekend September 12th-13th in Hermann park for the Texas Kendama Open at Japan festival Houston!!!!

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2026 NAKO AM Champ! ☀️

Such a surreal experience finally making it out to my first NAKO to compete in my first open! It’s been a dream for so long and I’m blessed to have had this opportunity.

Thank you to @sweetskendamas for making this event happen, all the people I was able to meet, the ken games, seshes and everything else in between.

Congrats to @damaseanskiz and @chadcovington for making the podium and keeping me locked in from day 1 😭 it was truly an honor to compete against you guys!

Shoutout to @blairdoubledama for being a homie through the whole comp and taking home the W as well, the New Mexico guys for having the vibes literally from the moment I arrived, @mmartart & @majin_jboogz34 for holding it down all weekend and all the seshers who I was finally able to meet 😸

Special shoutout to my guy @ckellydama for making Top 8!!! As well as helping me feel 100% ready and continuously pushing me further in kendama, always a pleasure 🫡😸

On to the next 🙌

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🔴🟢 CATCH. BALANCE. SPIKE. REPEAT.

Think it looks easy? Pick up a kendama and give it a try. 🇯🇵

At Japan Festival Houston, the TEXAS KENDAMA OPEN brings together first-timers, enthusiasts, and seriously skilled players for two days celebrating the traditional Japanese skill toy that has grown into a worldwide competitive sport.

Never played? Come learn!
Got skills? Come compete!
Got serious skills? There’s a trip to Japan on the line! ✈️🇯🇵

Thanks to ZIPAIR, the Texas Kendama Open champions will receive round-trip airfare to Japan—and the timing couldn’t be better for the winner to take those skills to the Kendama World Cup in Hatsukaichi! 🏆

With competition levels from Basic to PRO-Open, there’s a place for players at every stage—and plenty of action for the whole family to watch and enjoy.

📅 September 12–13
⏰ 10 AM - 6 PM
📍 Japan Festival Houston | Hermann Park
✨ Japan Festival Houston is FREE to attend.

Pick up a kendama. Land a trick.
You never know where it might take you!! 🇯🇵✈️

👉 Full details: https://www.houstonjapanfest.org/kendama-schedule2026

#JapanFestivalHouston #JFH2026 #TexasKendamaOpen #Kendama #ZIPAIR

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I took like zero clips n pictures at @nakendamaopen but I got the cake side of @mmartart rocking a crazy Kaiju border balance😱
no one geta hyped like a room full of kendama players watching bangers fr🙂‍↕️ shout out to all the lovely folks u met this year!! I got the post NAKO depression smth fierce!! I’m stoked for next year!!!!!!!!!!!!

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That’s the magic of arts education! 💫

A child’s first standing ovation.
A teacher’s encouragement.
A new friendship.
A family cheering from the audience.

Congratulations to our Sunburst Summer Arts Camp students on an incredible recital! Thank you to our instructors, staff, families, community partners @unitedwayhouston and @hcde_case and partner orgs @lualo.studio and @uniprotexas for helping make this summer one to remember.

#mecahouston #houstonnonprofit #houstonarts #artseducation

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Sometimes the biggest lessons come from simply not giving up. 👏

Meet Michael Martin, who has been teaching #kendama at MECA since 2018.

Kendama, a traditional Japanese skill toy, challenges students to practice patience, focus, and perseverance. Every student approaches it a little differently, and one of Michael’s favorite parts of teaching is watching each student develop their own style and celebrate the small victories along the way.

As we wrap up this year’s Sunburst Summer Arts Camp Instructor Series, we’re incredibly grateful to the talented educators who shared their time, creativity, and passion with our students.

From dance, music, theater, visual arts, gardening, language, social studies, and kendama, each instructor helped our campers discover new skills, explore Filipino culture, express themselves through the arts, and build confidence that will stay with them long after summer ends.

To all of our instructors, community partners, and families — thank you for making this summer one to remember. 🧡

#mecahouston

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Kendama meetup alert 🚨

This Saturday July 11th @hemp_ken_dre @twan.alk @mmartart will be jamming #kendama at Dow Elementary park starting around 4pm.

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Another amazing event, put together by a collaboration of dedicated and passionate Houston organizations.

There will be more collaborative events in the future. However, it unsure whether we will be able to have it in the same location. Due to our growing size, we will have to look into permit applications and/or renting a nearby space. We are looking into our options. In the mean time, we are looking for sponsors for our event and/or alternative spaces to hold our events. DM for any leads.

That being said, even though we may not have that opportunity again, it was cool to have it at all. If you were there, we hope you enjoyed yourself. Being able to help create that space was a huge honor. Looking forward to doing it agaln soon.

Big thanks to @houstonkendamameetup, @sidequestsocietytx, @thehivvecollective, @timeless_photo_walks_, @hifiv3.wav, @xx_sweetesttaboo_xx, and @bayoucityflows for helping organize such a magical vibe, and another big thanks to the @buffalobayou for allowing us to privilege to hold our meets at Allen's Landing for the last year, plus.

The area of Allen's Landing, and the Confluence, is super sentimental to me. Being able to hold our meets at the birth place of the city has been an unreal honor. However, we will take our good vibes wherever they're appreciated.

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"Under the bridge, downtown, I could not get enough"

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