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Before attending the Minbu Za Japanese Folk Dance and Music presentation, I was skeptical about the quality of the performance at the Charles B. Wang Center. Since the entrance fee was only a meager $5, I wondered if the show would be exciting enough to keep me awake for the next couple of hours. However, as soon as the first act came on, I knew that my initial premonitions were very wrong. The Minbu Za Folk Dance and Music show was a beautifully diverse and vivid display of traditional Japanese art, which included drum, flute, harp, and dance performances. The first act was presented by Stony Brook’s very own Taiko Tides, a student based group from Stony Brook University. Although many of the students were not Japanese, their performance was still very spirited and energetic, but precise at the same time. They really sounded like they had a firm grasp on what they were doing and it is obvious that they spent many hours practicing in preparation for the performance. At first, the rhythm of the drums beat at a slow but steady pace, but quickly escalated. A pair of drummers playing soon turned into a crowd of people beating their drums in sync. The second act was presented by Ryu Shu Kan, a husband and wife team skilled at the traditional Japanese flute and harp. Hiroko, the wife, was dressed in a traditional Japanese kimono and hairstyle as she played her piece on her harp. The harp was a very interesting looking instrument and differed greatly from the western harp most Americans are accustomed to seeing. The wooden harp was a long and slender instrument, several feet long. It was played using the fingers and wooden tabs attached to the fingers. Her husband was also dressed in a traditional Japanese outfit as he played the flute. The main act, performed by Minbu Za, was presented last. The dance troupe consisted of an all Japanese group which was mostly women with the exception of one male. The All the dances were strictly traditional dances with no modern mix whatsoever, meaning that many of the dances emphasized graceful, yet conservative movements, and the outfits worn were based on traditional Japanese dress. The first dance, “Ayoko Mai,” is a dance so old that it was one of the original inspirations for Japanese Kabuki Dance. It was performed by two women and the movements consisted mostly of slow but certain movements, small steps, and hand motions. Both feet must always have a firm grasp of the ground- not just for balance, but because the ancient Japanese believed energy flows from the ground to them, allowing them to dance. The next dance, “Mugiya Bushi” was a former warrior’s dance from the Toyama Prefecture, and performed in honor of the samurai. The dancers wore dress similar to that of a samurai along with rice hats. The dance was performed at a much faster pace than the “Ayako Mai,” and integrated the use of the rice hats into the dance. Mugiya Bushi was a manly dance and therefore, more free movement was allowed. The “Yagi Bushi, Hanagasa Odori, and Eisa,” were all dances dedicated to the season of summer. These dances were drastically different from the preceding ones. First, the facial expressions were not stern and solemn like the previous ones, but instead were smiling and radiating with childlike joy. The colors used in the outfits were mostly bright colors, all related to the summer season. The umbrellas used were colored in alternating orange and white swirls, so that when spun, it would look something like a summer flower or the sun. The dances were cheerful and carefree and the voices singing expressed a very happy tone. Another memorable dance was the Shi Shi Mai, a Japanese lion dance. If you have seen a Chinese dragon dance, you probably have an idea of what this dance is like. This dance is performed by a person underneath a sheet that operates a fake lion head. Unlike the Chinese dragon dance, this lion costume is much smaller, but the dancer exhibits much more motion and the lion, much more emotion. During the dance the lion runs about and roars, falls asleep, and even eats an orange and throws up the orange peel. Overall I thought the Minbu Za Japanese Folk Dance and Music performance was an amazing show. Not only was every single act was immensely entertaining, but I truly believe that the performers succeeded in bringing a small part of Japan to the Wang center. The music, the people and the costumes were enough to create an atmosphere that felt like traditional Japan. |
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