Awa dance festival art11/29/2023 We don’t only perform at festivals throughout Japan, but also perform around the world throughout the year in order to share about Japanese culture. We continue to develop the dance while skillfully keeping up with the demands of the current dance style and at the same time protecting the history and traditions of Awa Dance. Our association is composed of 16 yumeiren. Along with holding more than 400 years of tradition, the greatest attraction of this dance is that anyone can join in and dance as they please.Īwa Odori Promotion Association was formed in 1955 in order to preserve and pass on the Awa Dance to future generations. Awa Dance has a distinct style in both men’s and women’s style of dancing, the dancers raise their arm, then move their right arm and right leg forward, followed by moving their left arm and left leg forward. It is said “Once you raise your arms and move your legs, you’re already dancing the Awa Dance”. Each group has its own style of dancing and playing instruments. A ren is composed of male dancers, female dancers, happi-coat female dancers, children dancers, and instrument players. Dance groups that uphold a high level of technique are called yumeiren.Īwa Dance groups, called ren, each hold a diverse background and can have anywhere between 50 to 300 members. To fête the completion of Tokushima Castle, the feudal lord of Awa province. ‘Awa’ refers to the region known as modern-day Tokushima prefecture, on the island of Shikoku, while ‘odori’ means dance. Tokushima, the home of Awa Dance, has approximately 1,000 individual dance groups, known as ren. Many people believe that Awa Odori originated from a massive celebration held in the 16th century. More than just a festival, the Awa Odori contributes to building strong bonds in the area.Awa Dance (Awa Odori) is Tokushima’s world renowned traditional performing art that has been danced continuously for over 400 years. Having participated for almost 60 years, Moriroku has strengthened its ties with many local and major companies, and works with them to energize the community as a good corporate citizen. This makes it a very big event for Moriroku. The Company also invites customers from other countries to visit and see the festival. Employees from other workplaces in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and other cities in Japan come every year to watch the performance. On the day of the festival, everyone performs a group dance in the afternoon, then a moving dance along the streets of Tokushima in the early evening, and a final dance at the branch office in the evening. Altogether, they are organized into four lines of performers extending for about 50 meters. The group increases to about 130 members when a team of performers from the neighboring city of Naruto join for the festival. Today, more than 100 members participate in Moriroku's long-established performance group, including employees from workplaces in and outside the prefecture as well as members of the Company's business partners. Participation in the festival strengthens ties in the community The Shikoku Branch has decreased in size since that time, but the performance group has continued to participate in the Awa Odori every year. Besides dancing, the group's members also played various traditional musical instruments such as drums and the shamisen (a three-stringed instrument). At first, the group was made up of 40 to 50 employees working at the company's local Shikoku Branch as well as members of their families. With its long history in the area as a trader of locally made indigo-dyed products, Moriroku organized its own group to participate in the Awa Odori festival in 1960. Consequently, the festival was influenced by many local cultures, and performing arts became deeply rooted among the people of Tokushima. This Japanese traditional dance festival originally started in Tokushima and was. The traders who travelled the country to sell those products returned to Awa with various folk songs and dances they experienced in other regions. At the end of every summer, Kenji plays host to Tokyos largest Awa Odori. In the early 1800s, the number of people participating in the festival increased as the Awa area's indigo-dyed goods grew famous across Japan. Local rulers at that time often prohibited the festival due to fears that the excitement it caused among the common people could lead to an uprising, but the lively event was too popular to stop. I must say I don't know enough about Awaodori to tell the nuances of each section, but compared to the wispy ladies in front and the wildly contrasting vibrant male fools section, the ladies in Happi balance the general tone of the dance all while maintaining a strong presence with eager cheers. Local indigo-dyed goods traders popularized the festival over its historyĬountless people have enjoyed the Awa Odori dance festival since it first began around four centuries ago at the beginning of Japan's Edo period (1603 to 1868). Yatto yatto sa Quality: smu.gs/10pXLu3 These are the lovely ladies from Hyottoko Ren's Happi section.
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