♡About Japanese Dance♡ Part 1: Introduction♡

Hello! ♡

In this post, I thought I'd try something different- discussing one of my other hobbies, Japanese dance. It's an uncommon hobby outside of Japan, so I thought it'd be interesting ~ I'll split this post into 3 parts, as there's quite a bit to discuss ^^ So, let's start with the basics ~

 Japanese dance, Nihon Buyoh in Japanese, is one of Japan's traditional performing arts. It tends to be a mixture of dance and theatre, with dance styles being related to Kabuki and Noh theatre. Dances are usually about love and/or nature, with the lyrics being very poetic and full of hidden meanings that take skill and background knowledge to interpret and understand. 

Each movement, known as "kata", has a meaning, and it truly takes a trained eye to fully appreciate each one. Some movements are very obvious- for instance, a dancer might use their almost-closed fan to represent a sake bottle, which they then pour. This can be seen in the Pontocho (one of Kyoto's five geisha districts) version of the dance "Kyo no Shiki", meaning "The Four Seasons of Kyoto", at 4:23, when the lyrics speak of drinking sake while viewing the snow. Some movements relate directly to the lyrics- others create a specific atmosphere or are transition moves. Others require a deep understanding of the lyrics to see how feeling is portrayed in the dancer's actions.

Nihon Buyo has several different schools and styles. Although Japanese dance is relatively slow, it ranges from the very static Inoue style, with small and intricate gestures that are best suited for the trained eye, to the more dynamic and fast paced styles, such as the ones danced by the geisha of Tokyo, often involving jumping and very dramatic motions.

Nihon Buyo is danced to the shamisen, a three-stringed instrument similar to the banjo, as well as other traditional instruments- koto (sounds a bit like a harp), various types of drums, bells and bamboo flutes, like the shinobue. A unique and specific type of singing accompanies the music.

Dancers must be able to portray emotion without changing their facial expression, which must remain neutral. The knees are always bent to some extent, with leaning back and bending them further adding drama to a dance. Drama and emotion can also be added by stamping the feet, jumping, and head movements. 

The kimono of the wearer plays a large part too. Many movements involve doing things with the sleeves such as fluttering and holding them. Other dances call for lifting the hem. The hikizuri, a kimono with a long hem, is worn by geisha and dancers- as the hem trails on the ground beautifully, which is especially stunning during dance.

So, that's it for today's post! Hopefully you found this interesting ^^ Let me know what you think in the comments below and...

Have a lovely day!

~Milky ♡