Hello! ♡
Things have been a bit quiet here lately, but life has been quite hectic ^^' Very soon my posts will be more frequent and interesting! Before that, however, I will finish off the series about Japanese dance that I started c: It'll also stop this blog from being too empty despite the awkward situation lately ^^'Anyway! In this part I'll discuss my personal experience with Japanese dance. Let's go!
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When and how did I start? Well, it's hard to pick out a specific date... so. In February 2016 my interest in geisha and their culture started after reading the (highly inaccurate!) book "Memoirs of a Geisha", and I started trying to mimic their dancing. I remember clearly that it was the Gion Kobu version of Gion Kouta ^^' I didn't even have a kimono or a fan, but that's when my interest was born, though I wasn't really set on properly learning Japanese dance. In the summer of that year a really strong desire for learning Japanese dance was born- I tried dancing the Gion Kobu version of Gion Kouta. I decided to get a yukata set to start, but I ended up not going through with it, though little did I know that something much better was waiting for me! I kept practising for fun in regular clothes, not too serious about it. I still have footage from that time- watching it makes me cringe, my movements were really stiff >< But we all have to start somewhere. Then, in December 2016 I made the decision to build a maiko outfit (that will be a separate post) and bought my first kimono- a very long silk furisode. Before it arrived, I remember practising a December dance called Kagamimochi. I couldn't dance Gion Kouta and Kagamimochi fully or properly though ^^ Then, when my kimono and obi arrived in January 2017, I started learning to put it on, and dancing with it. I still wasn't too serious though- my progress was quite slight, I practised for fun randomly- it was pretty disorganised. And that's how it was for most of 2017- I gradually got more serious and practised more, but still rarely; though I progressed quite a bit- I learnt the Miyagawacho version of Gion Kouta, my movements were less stiff. That Summer, I learnt a dance called "Miyagawa Ondo" which I performed at a panel I hosted at a con in my city in late September. I also bought a proper dance fan at last, in July. In August of that year, I decided to get serious with Japanese dance- and so, late that month, I bought a yukata- which is lighter, easy to wash, and much more comfortable, making frequent practise possible. Then, I decided to organise my practise; I wrote out all existing dances I could find, found videos for each, sorted them by seasonality, and made it a goal to practise at least twice a week. At the end of 2017 I also bought a hanhaba obi for practise. So I guess that properly, I started dancing in September 2017, though of course the whole story behind it is a bit more complicated ^^'
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| Dancing "Kagamimochi" on New Year's Eve 2017, wearing my maiko outfit kimono in normal style ^^ |
What I love: There is a lot that I love about Japanese dance! ♥
Flowy and graceful movements: I've always loved movements and dance styles that match this description ^^' Japanese dance, even the fastest styles, is relatively slow-paced, with very very graceful movements. The way they flow is very relaxing and engrossing, and beautiful ~
Deep meaning: Each dance tells a story- the movements aren't there just because they look good ^^ Dances are thought-provoking, open to interpretation, and require focus to understand. It's fun seeing how the movements create a certain atmosphere or portray different emotions, or show the beauty of nature. Themes: Dances are usually about love or nature. I especially love dances about the latter- seasonal dances in particular! Clothing: I love practising in my purple and white yukata, adorned with hydrangeas and cherry blossoms and subtle gold butterflies, paired with a pink obi tied in a cute bow (or other knot sometimes ^^). I love my maiko outfit (aka full performing outfit), with the long and flowy sleeves, beautiful silk adorned with pretty motifs that trails behind me, cherry blossom hair ornaments with the petals dangling by my face, the white, red and black make-up, and the light blue obi that dangles behind me. I also love intricate and stunning stage costumes that aren't worn by me- beautiful examples can be seen in the public dance performances (Odori) held by geisha.  |
| Practising in yukata c: |
What I dislike: Using hate wouldn't be appropriate- it's much too strong. As much as I love Japanese dance, I have pet peeves too...
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| Full performing outfit- aka my maiko henshin, which I will write a separate post about ^^ |
Dropping your fan: Sometimes dropping the fan is part of the dance. But accidentally dropping your fan is easy during fan tricks, when you have to position your fingers just so and move them and your wrist correctly. It's easy to accidentally let go. It's also very hard to improvise ^^ But it even happens to maiko sometimes!Folding kimono: After practise is done for the day, my legs hurt and I'm quite tired. But I can't just take off my kimono and leave it there and go straight to bed or something- I have to carefully fold it and put it back in storage, as well as any accessories. It's quite annoying as I'm very very careful when folding kimono, and smoothing it out after laying it on the floor is the biggest pain ^^ Droopy obi: Now that I have a hanhaba obi, I rarely practise with my maru obi tied in a taiko knot, but when I used to tie it for each practice a huge pet peeve of mine was the obi makura (supporting pillow) falling/drooping, making the knot lose its shape. Tripping over kimono hem/obi: When wearing my maiko outfit, the kimono is worn trailing. With practise I've learnt to walk and move in it, but there are still times when I trip over the hem, which can also loosen it ><' Also, in my performing outfit the obi is tied in such a way that there are two dangling tails. Sometimes when rising from kneeling I can stumble on it ^^ Hair ornaments falling out: Sometimes, when bowing in full performing outfit, a hair ornament can fall out. This is always the ougi bira (fan-shaped pin with dangling metal strips) as all the other ornaments are securely pinned in place, whereas the ougi bira is just... stuck in my hair, with nothing holding it in place. Sometimes it stays in place very well, sometimes it falls out... Loosening kimono: With kneeling, standing, walking and turning, the strings that hold the kimono together and ensure that it stays in place can sometimes loosen. This means that the nice silhouette of the hem gets lost. If the upper string loosens, my collars will start opening up at the front, and they have to be adjusted all the time ><
There are a few other annoyances, but this post is getting way too long ^^'
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| One of the most popular and easy obi knots, the chouchou musubi ^^ |
How I learn: I learn new dances by finding a YouTube video of it, then dancing it 5-10 times each time I practise, with the video. Then I'll dance it with the video, but trying not to look at it, and then without the video to perfect the dance and any fan tricks or harder moves.
How I organise practice: I try to practise at least twice a week. Sometimes I'll dance almost every day, sometimes I can only manage one day, or maybe even none. Practise can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on my mood, energy and schedule. I first dance whichever dance I'm learning 5-10 times or so, then I practise some dances I already know a few times. If it's a longer practice session, I take breaks ^^
Favourite Dances:
Performing Experience:
I've performed publicly once, at a Japanese festival in my city in September 2017. There were more people than expected, and I was in full performing outfit, but I did quite well c: I performed the Miyagawacho version of Gion Kouta (first two verses) with Miyagawa Ondo. I expected to be really nervous during the dance but I was so focused on it that I felt quite relaxed ^^ My second performance will be at another Japanese festival in February- I'll perform the Inoue school version of Gion Kouta and the Wakayagi version of Ume wa Saitaka, a perfect dance for February, as it's about plum blossoms, which are the first sign of spring in Japan- they bloom in February as the first flowers after the winter ^^
Well, this post was really long >< But, I hope you found it interesting ~
Please let me know what you think, and...
Have a lovely day!
~Milky ♡
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