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Japanese dance / Nihonbuyo

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Japanese dance

I will introduce classical Japanese dance.
Japanese dance is a combination of 'Mai' and 'Odori'.
Mai is shuffling around the stage along with the music.
Odori is stomping or gesturing along with the music.

Variety of Japanese dance
Followings are the kinds of 'Mai'.
- Gagaku and Bugaku which are the court music from ancient time.
- Kagura which was dance dedicated to the God.
- Dengaku which was danced for farmers festival.
- Sarugaku and Nogaku which has changed to the theater.

Following are the kinds of 'Odori'.
- Nembutsu-odori whose origin was a ritual for rain.
- Bon-odori which was danced for pleasure in Bon period in summer.
- Kabuki-odori which has changed to the theater.
- Kembu which was tranformed from martial art.

Characteristics of Japanese dance
The dance which we now call 'Nihonbuyo' is derived from Kabuki-odori.

It has the beauty of form abstructing the concrete movement of the daily life or exaggerating which can be seen in Kabuki-odori. And spinning moveement and walk of Nogaku are also introduced.

Japanese fan and unbrella are used as gismo. Sometimes mask is weared.

Dance is learned as an acomplishment of the ladies, because they can learn mode of behavior wearing kimono.

Shcools of Japanese dance
There are more than 200 shools, but the there are two main streams.
'Odori' from Edo which is mainly Kabuki-odori.
'Mai' from Kyoto and Osaka which are mainly danced at fancy Japanese style restaurant.

The founder of the schools are mainly choreographer of Kabuki and Nogaku.
The following five schools are most famous.
- Hanayagi-ryu
- Fujima-ryu
- Wakayagi-ryu
- Nishikawa-ryu
- Bando-ryu