First Steps in Dance and Kimono

First Steps in Dance and Kimono

by | Aug 26, 2020 | Japanese Culture

I had my first experience with Japanese dance, or Nihon buyō, in 1976. I was 19 and living in Fukuoka with my missionary parents. It was my third trip to Japan, but the first one I really remembered. My first trip was in 1956, when I was born on the kitchen table in...
The History of Japanese Dance

The History of Japanese Dance

by | Aug 12, 2020 | Japanese Culture

The word for traditional dance in Japanese, buyō 舞踊、combines the character mai, 舞, with that of odori, 踊, and suggests the syncretic nature of the art form. Whereas dance has been omnipresent in Japan since the beginning of time, the word buyō is a relatively modern...