Japanese dance

The trailing, silk brocade dararai obi and long dangling sleeves of a maiko's luxurious silk kimono add a dramatic effect to the overwhelming impression of grace and elegance as she dances in Kyo Odori, the annual spring dance of the Miyagawa-cho district. Kyomai is traditional Kyoto-style dance, of which there are many schools. Each geisha district has a distinct style of dance, based on the school to which they belong. (For example, Gion Kobu pracitces the Inoue school of dance).

Japanese Fan Dance

*Cultural Dances* Description: Send a not home to parents asking if they, their older children, extended family members, or anyone they know would be willing to come to your classroom to demonstrate a traditional dance from their child's home culture. Teachers can also ask someone who participate in an ethnic dace group. Ask the parents or dancers to join your group time in their street clothes and talk with the children about when and where they dance, how they feel when they dance, what it…

The traditional Japanese fan dance is performed by a young woman, either singly or in a group. It involves using a hand-held fan as a prop. The dancers often wear brightly colored Japanese kimonos, and have elaborately arranged hair and bold make-up. Fan dancing involves slow, deliberate movements, figures and poses, which sometimes tell a story. Fan dances are usually accompanied by traditional Japanese music often involving singing and the playing of a shamisen (a 3-stringed instrument).

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