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    Dance & Festival of Japan

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    Fadhil Hashim
    Okinawan dance traditions play an important role in festivals on the islands. Some key dances and festivals mentioned include: 1) Yotsutake, an important classical dance performed by women in elaborate kimonos and hats, symbolizing Ryukyu culture. 2) Kumi Odori, an ensemble dance originating in 1719 to provide entertainment, accompanied by traditional instruments. 3) The All-Okinawa Eisa Festival celebrates eisa dance traditions with hundreds of dancers and drummers gathering over the first weekend after Obon. 4) The Naha Hari Dragon Boat Races are held annually in May as a ritual to bless fishermen, featuring colorful boats racing

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    Dance & Festival of Japan

    Uploaded by

    Fadhil Hashim
    60 views4 pages
    Okinawan dance traditions play an important role in festivals on the islands. Some key dances and festivals mentioned include: 1) Yotsutake, an important classical dance performed by women in elaborate kimonos and hats, symbolizing Ryukyu culture. 2) Kumi Odori, an ensemble dance originating in 1719 to provide entertainment, accompanied by traditional instruments. 3) The All-Okinawa Eisa Festival celebrates eisa dance traditions with hundreds of dancers and drummers gathering over the first weekend after Obon. 4) The Naha Hari Dragon Boat Races are held annually in May as a ritual to bless fishermen, featuring colorful boats racing

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    Okinawan dance traditions play an important role in festivals on the islands. Some key dances and festivals mentioned include: 1) Yotsutake, an important classical dance performed by women in elaborate kimonos and hats, symbolizing Ryukyu culture. 2) Kumi Odori, an ensemble dance originating in 1719 to provide entertainment, accompanied by traditional instruments. 3) The All-Okinawa Eisa Festival celebrates eisa dance traditions with hundreds of dancers and drummers gathering over the first weekend after Obon. 4) The Naha Hari Dragon Boat Races are held annually in May as a ritual to bless fishermen, featuring colorful boats racing

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    60 views4 pages

    Dance & Festival of Japan

    Uploaded by

    Fadhil Hashim
    Okinawan dance traditions play an important role in festivals on the islands. Some key dances and festivals mentioned include: 1) Yotsutake, an important classical dance performed by women in elaborate kimonos and hats, symbolizing Ryukyu culture. 2) Kumi Odori, an ensemble dance originating in 1719 to provide entertainment, accompanied by traditional instruments. 3) The All-Okinawa Eisa Festival celebrates eisa dance traditions with hundreds of dancers and drummers gathering over the first weekend after Obon. 4) The Naha Hari Dragon Boat Races are held annually in May as a ritual to bless fishermen, featuring colorful boats racing

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    What is the meaning of dance?

     Dance is the movement of the body in a rhythmic way, usually to music and within a
    given space, for the purpose of expressing an idea or emotion, releasing energy, or
    simply taking delight in the movement itself.

    What is the meaning of festival?


     Festival that we know as an organized set of special events, such as musical performances or
    plays, usually happening in one place, or a special day or period, usually in memory of a
    religious event, with its own social activities, food, or ceremonies.

    DANCE IN OKINAWA
    -Okinawan dance is divided into four styles :
    Court dancing (classical dance),
    Zo-udui (mixed dance),
    Sosaku-buyo(created dance) and
    minzoku buyo(folk dance)

    YOTSUTAKE
    - the most important classical dance in Okinawa.
    - A woman dancing in a bingata kimono and a large red lotus hat is exactly what most
    Okinawans imagine
    -An integral part of classical women's dances, an extravagance of color and intricate designs
    serve as a symbol of Ryukyu culture.
    -Yotsutake and other modern choreographies are relatively easy to see at places such as
    Shurijo Castle Park and also at local festivals and events,
    -Through the music and dances, you will be able to catch a glimpse of the Okinawan soul.
    KUMI ODORI
    - is a form of narrative traditional Ryūkyūan dance.
    -Kumi odori or Kumi wudui means "combination dance" or "ensemble dance"
    -originating in the Ryūkyūan capital of Shuri, Okinawa in 1719, the original purpose of this
    dance was to provide amusement and diversions,
    -Instruments typically included three stringed instruments: the sanshin (brought from
    China), the kutu, and the kucho; the hanso, a flute; and two drums, the odaiko and
    the kodaiko.

    All-Okinawa Eisa Festival (全島エイサー祭り, Zento Eisa Matsuri)


    One of Okinawa's biggest and most famous festivals is their Okinawa-wide Eisa Festival,
    which celebrates eisa dance, an island tradition.
    Every year, on the first weekend after the Japanese holiday of Obon, groups of dancers
    gather to perform together, starting with the Michijune (道ジュネ―) procession.
    Almost a dozen different dance groups perform, with some dancers keeping the beat with
    large taiko drums, and others waving banners. The festivities draw around 300,000 people
    every year

    Naha Hari Dragon Boat Races (那覇ハーリー, Naha Hari)


    This festival is put on every year as a ritual to ask the gods of the sea for their blessings,
    praying for a plentiful catch and safety at sea.
    Over a three-day weekend in May (during Japanese Golden Week), locals and visitors alike
    hop into the colorful dragon boats (called hari or hare) and speed through the warm sea
    waters.
    The largest of Okinawa's hari races is the one at Naha's Shinko Wharf, but the festival has
    roots in Chinese boat races of the 14th century! These days, along with the races, there are
    also musical performances and comedy shows, sumo matches, and even fireworks displays.

    Naha Tug-of-War (那覇大綱挽, Naha Otsunahiki)

    held in Naha, Okinawa, Japan


    The event draws some 275,000 attendees annually, and is preceded on the prior day with a
    parade celebration on Kokusai Street (also in Naha).
    In 1997 the event was first logged in the Guinness Book of World Records as being the
    largest tug-of-war event in the world. The rope weighs about 40 metric tons.
    The festival begins with men dressed in traditional Okinawan dress standing on the rope
    facing in opposite directions to symbolize the battle between East and West.
    The centerpiece of the yearly festival is two giant rope braids, held together at the center
    with an enormous wooden peg and topped with platforms made for participants dressed up
    as Ryukyu royalty. The tug-of-war battle hearkens back to real conflicts of old, but in the
    modern day it's actually fought out by participants who hold onto a number of smaller ropes
    to pull each other in one direction or the other―if one team manages to pull the other over
    5 meters within the allotted 30 minutes, they win!

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