Japanese Dance (Almost Done)

614 Words3 Pages
There are many traditional dances and art forms in Japan. While there is a strong tradition of performance dance, many of the traditional dances of Japan are associated with annual festivals. These festivals usually have some kind of religious over tone. Usually dance in Japan is associated with the worship of spirit deities. However, while traditional Japanese dance is still very common today, many other art forms have evolved from such ancient traditions and festivals. This essay will focus on the Kabuki form of dance in the edo period. Dance groups in the edo period of Japanese history included religious views without agreeing with one thing. This left the dance groups open and made them very popular. One of the best dance groups in the Edo period was formed by a women named Okuni and her dance partners had two main types of dances a mixture of folk dance and nembutsu odori, a form of religious dance, however the nature of the dances were not as sacred as they sound to some people. When crowds around dancing became boisterous the governing body banned the dancers and they were only allowed to perform in a certain area because of a brawl between rival dance supporters. If dancers left this place they had to wear hats that covered their faces similar to prisoners. Actors/dancers only became recognized as much as musicians in the 19th century. This was an example of oppression in several ways as it was dictating performers rights but restricting them to a confined space in order to keep the status quo. Oppression can also be counted in the lift of the band as the theatres still had to follow a specific structure that did not interrupt the status quo meaning performers were still limited but not quite as much and not to one area. The shogunate was never partial to kabuki and all the mischief it caused, particularly the variety of the social classes, which
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