Japanese traditional dance
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There are two types of Japanese traditional dance: Odori, which originated in the Edo period, and Mai, which originated in the western part of Japan. Odori grew out of Kabuki drama and is more oriented toward male sentiments. Mai is traditionally performed in Japanese rooms instead of on the stage. It was influenced by the Noh Drama.
A variation of the Mai style of Japanese dance is the Kyomai or Kyoto Style Dance. Kyomai developed in the 17th century Tokugawa cultural period. It is heavily influenced by the elegance and sophistication of the manners often associated with the Imperial Court in Kyoto.
A newer dance, So-ran Bushi, is a new sort of Japanese traditional dance that fuses traditional Japanese movement with a modern rock beat.
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[edit] Traditional Japanese Dance
There are several types of traditional Japanese dance. These dances are created and mixed up from one to another yet all of them are unique in their own way. Some describe history and others are done entirely by men. The Four traditional dances today which are different from one another are Kabuki that became known in the 17th century, Noh Mai, Bon Odori which and a dance for the spirits, and Nihon Buyo which is created from a bit of all the dances.
[edit] Kabuki
Kabuki is a dance that is done on stage and is a type of theater. The dance was created in the 17th century by a female shrine attendant Okuni. Okuni did the dances with out masks and they were extremely lively. Kabuki is a dance that is a mixture of folk dance and a religious dance called Nenbutsu Odori. (Japan Zone) When Kabuki first came around it was made for large audiences. The reason it became so popular was because of the sensuality of the dance. Most dancers were also involved in prostitution. During those times the audiences were mostly male. (Japan Zone) Due to the nature of the dance in theaters all female performers were banned. When the performances switched to all male performances, the males also were involved in prostitution. Today, these performances are done entirely by males and can be seen all over Japan and are mostly watched by older Japanese.
[edit] Noh Mai
The origin of the Noh Mai can be traced back to as far as the thirteenth century. Noh Mai is a dance that is done to music that is made by flutes and small hand drums. At some points they dance to vocal and percussion music, these points are called kuse or kiri. Noh Mai dances are put together by a series of forms. (The Noh, 2008) Forms are patterns of body movements that are done elegantly and with beauty.
There are several types of Noh Mai dances. A type that is neither slow nor fast is called Chu No Mai. A female usually performs this type of dance. A slower type of dance is the Jo No Mai. A female does this dance as well and can dress up as wither a ghost of a noble woman, prostitute, a spirit or deity. A male’s dance is Otoko Mai. The dancer does not wear a mask in this dance and is showing the charter as being heroi. Another male dance is Kami Mai, where the dancer acts as though he is a deity. This is a very fast dance. The female version of this would be Kagura and can be performed in various ways. Gaku is a dance that is imitates music played by the imperial court and is usually done by the main character. These six types make up the Noh Mai dance and help give the dance its beauty.
Costumes are a huge part of Noh Mai. Some times a dance or play may start out very slowly, so the actors create very flamboyant costumes to keep the audience interested. They also dress to fit the region in which they represent, such as a bamboo hat worn during a play would represent country life. The most important part of the costume is the mask. The Noh Mai masks are thought to be the most artistic masks in Japan. The masks are only worn by the main characters. (Ishii, 1994, pg. 43) Also, the masks have neutral expressions so it is the job of the actor to bring the character to life. (Pitt Rivers Museum)
[edit] Bon Odori
Bon Odori is a dance that came around to be a welcoming for the spirits of the dead. These dances are different for every region of Japan and have a different music for each dance. It may change from region to region but the usual bon dance involves people gathering around a yagura. A yagura is a high wooden building made of wood that is made especially for this festival. (The Buddhist Encyclopedia) During the dance the people that gathered around the yargura move either counter clockwise of clock wise moving away and towards the yurgura. (The Buddhist Encyclopedia) Some times they can switch direction in which they rotate around.
In some regions when people do Bon Odori they describe that regions history. They do this by doing certain movements together that represent their past, such as the coal mining song. During the coal mining song people, in unison, do the movements of minors such as digging, cart pushing and lantern hanging. Another way that the Bon Odori dance is different from one region to another is the use of tools for the dance. (The Buddhist Encyclopedia) Some tools and instruments that they use during this dance are fans small towels and small wooden clappers. The “Hanagasa Odori” it uses flower decorated hats for the dance. (The Buddhist Encyclopedia)These are different from one region to another and make Bon Odori such a wonderful dance.
Another famous dance in Japan is the Obon dance, called "Bon Odori" (盆踊り) in Japanese. People dance the Obon during the Obon Festival, held every summer in districts and neighborhoods in every city in Japan. Obon is an annual Buddhist event for commemorating one's ancestors. It is believed that each year during obon, the ancestors' spirits return to this world in order to visit their relatives.
[edit] Nihon Buyo
Nihon Buyo is different from most other traditional dances. It is intended for entertainment on stage. Nihon Buyo is a refined dance that has been improved through out four centuries. (Japanese Dance Association Inc.) There are four parts to Nihon Buyo. The most significant part being Kabuki Buyo. Nihon Buyo was created directly from Kabuki Buyo before it became a theater. The second part of Nihon Buyo is Noh. (Japanese Dance Association Inc.) Nihon Buyo takes a few key elements from Noh such as the circular movements and the tools that they incorporate in the dances. Third part to these dances comes from the folk dances. They took the spinning and jumping that is used in folk dances and has incorporated it in Nihon Buyo. The last part came from a mixture of European and American culture that is found in Japan today. (Japanese Dance Association Inc.) Today with the combination of these dances we have Nihon Buyo, a refined dance that has become an art form made for entertainment on stage.
The Sparrow dance, called Suzume Odori (雀踊り), is a dance based upon the fluttering movements of the tree sparrow. It was first performed, improvised, by stonemasons who were constructing Sendai Castle for the daimyo Date Masamune. The emblem of the Date clan incorporates two tree sparrows. The Sparrow dance is now performed yearly in Sendai, Miyagi prefecture at the Aoba festival in mid-May[1]. School children in Miyagi prefecture learn and perform the Sparrow dance, especially during the Obon Festival.
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.aoba-matsuri.com/english/e-suzume.html Sendai Suzume Odori
