Japanese dance

[95m26]

Superb!

[TheMrUltraawesome]

that's a man

[zanga8]

awesome!

[bojo09totx]

i Miss Japan ;'(

[Eloaene]

@bojo09totx me too!! /cry!! :*( we'll stow away on a flight in secret to get back there!

[MonicaFranco11]

wowerz! he really looks female! he's so graceful! <3 love this!

[kao81811]

this seems chinese or korean.

[nipponichibanable]

@kao81811 Who the fuck r u?? This is Nihon no ongaku desu. Baka

[kao81811]

@nipponichibanable excuse me?

[thephilosopherkartik]

Is there any reliable method method to differentiate between Geisha dance and Kabuki? Other than the gender of the performers, of course.

[BlueCat112]

Isnt it hard to dance in costume like that...wow..

[Eloaene]

@BlueCat112 I have a pretty decent kimono collection, some of which were gifted to me or purchased from Asakusa in Tokyo,and I've taught classes before on how to wear them.Even though they look restrictive, they're very comfortable [to me]and not hard to move in.You have to get used to how to move in them in the sense that there's a different attitude one has when you wear them. It's not the same as wearing jeans. You use different muscles more; one of those things you just have to do to feel.

[terpiscoreful]

@Eloaene , very interesting, i've never worn one. I went to Japan , though, and was astonished about how some ladies still used them, so refined and elegant, at very fine cafes, or shall I say , Tea places.

[columhcille]

@terpiscoreful ^.^ Yes. There's certainly no comparing getting to see kimono in person in Japan. I think it's great to see them evolve to fit a new generation of Japanese. Look up "kimono hime"! :) There is certainly an impecable, beauteous grace about them that is unmatched in my oppinion by any other tradition dress. But as I've read, Kimono are all the same in form so it is not the style that makes the person; It is the character of the person who creates the the attraction of the dress.

[shichan]

most of thee time shes in this half crotch thing? it is really hard to stay like that without shaking or falling over =n=. major props.

[LostAmaya]

This is why the Japanese culture fascinates me. Something simple is absolutely beautiful to me. They have so many traditions and myths that are still alive to this very day. What do we have in the US? A bunch of different cultures clashing and fighting over the dumbest things. Like that rec center those people want to build in NY. I say let them. So what it's near the Twin Towers sites! We claim to be a free country, so stop taking away theirs.

[tomoyokitakogane]

....People gets confused a bit when they see dancing Japanese with white make-up....well this video is a Japanese dance one. Kabuki does the same story with the same kind of dance and music. But this video is "Nichibu(=Japanese dance)and she is not a geisha either. Well,Geishas have to know how to dance the same kind as well.

[hanewolf]

the men in the back are playing on koto right?

[stolensea]

@hanewolf they are in fact playing the shamisen, the koto is a usually 13 string instrument

[mjking4ever58]

This video is very beautiful!!!:)

[yoka955]

i love it when she stomps her feet!

[Lunardivider24]

the is a wonderful Kimono

[dendara100]

the lead singer's got quite the lung, singing for so long! very nice presentation!

[pup333]

this is lovely. ive always wanted to dance like that. there so peaceful. they make you calm

[teamshintaichi]

too much discussion with others so that I forgot to say what a beautiful presentation of 娘道成寺 this is. GREAT JOB! Did you perform the full play or just this dance?

[yoka955]

Well you know, in ancient Japan, Geishas actually first started out as men rather than women.

[uglyengineer]

No- your confusing actors with Geisha. Traditional actors in Japan have been men, even when the roles are female. Geisha are totally different and have always been women.

[spankycw08]

no, actually you're confused, I just did a paper on geisha and from my research it is true, geisha used to be men, they didn't entertain the same way that geisha do now, but they performed poetry and music and they were MEN

[ActionStudent]

We all start out as women in the womb so... WOMEN WIN!

[yaschan99]

yes!

[divinakalish]

@ActionStudent Lmao. That is true.

[89789784]

No, that is Kabuki Actors, not Geisha.

[Chichiri520]

Yes, the VERY first Geisha WERE men but that was alooooooooong time ago. Then women started getting into it. They were called taikomochi or hokan.

If memory serves correct, in Japan now, there is a SLIGHT equivalent to a female Geisha but they are men.

[captkronoscorvinus]

@spankycw08 we all start out as women in the womb-good point, but art defies gender, or race, or biology.

[otherwheregirl]

@spankycw08 You may also be a tad bit confused.

This is Kabuki.

- 1603–1629 onna-kabuki was all female.

- 1629–1673 Was a transition to yarō kabuki which was all male.

- Kabuki is a beutiful art with a long history of it's own.

It's true that the first perofrmers to call themselves "Geisha" were men, but I'd say that Kabuki, Oiran, and Geisha's true origon is with women. Also forerunners of the female geisha were the Odoriko, expensively-trained as chaste dancers-for-hire.

[angelclaire]

@spankycw08 dont forget the "kabuki"

[teamshintaichi]

incorrect

[uglyengineer]

Simply saying "incorrect" doesn't add anything to the conversation, so I'll ignore you. I've done some MORE research and this is the strait poop:

In the 11th Cent. a pair of imperial courtesans (no names known) created a dance to honor the warriors, this dance caught on and started the Geisha tradition. Apparently, LATER, some men dressed as Geisha and acted the part, but it didn't catch on, and not the tradition. Geisha started as and have always been women. Period.

[teamshintaichi]

I'm very sorry but you are incorrect. Men were the origional entertainers of japan and the only entertainment women provided was sex. 芸gei means art and 者sha means doer. The origional "art doers" or geisha were men and the numbers gradually shifted over to mostly women.

[teamshintaichi]

There are still male geisha today but they are very few. As for "dressing like geisha" male geisha wear traditional MEN'S clothing and there are only 2 male geisha who dress like women. One is eitaro of geisha matsunoya, Tokyo. I am Japanese and know my facts because I myself hope to become a geisha so... I am not arguing, but just presenting facts.

[pup333]

@uglyengineer lol. you sure there all men. did you check under there kimonos? there could be a buldge for all you know. :D

[Variella]

XD I have a terrible feeling he's prettier that most girls. I think guys would be unnknowingly gay for him

[LetItAllBleedOut]

boy his kimono is splendid!! and he dances with such grace too! (i just wish girls could do kabuki too)

[Miyavisgirl1540]

I would KILL for a kimono like that! *admires*

[Bousiewhite]

ill help you to kill anyone for a kimono too...or give you addres to buy one... as you prefer...come by mi site!!

[pophits]

Oh yes! The kimono is stunning. And his grace is incredible.

[orgoik]

Oh my goodness, that's a man? Wow, that's amazing that a man would have such grace...

[iluvkawaiimakeup]

thats a man???!!!!!!!ok...

[aquca6]

Being a Geisha isn't easy. It takes mastering. Where can I buy kimonos like that from besides Nihon?

[Desiree1217]

not a Geisha.

kabuki actor.

also a man btw.

[eevieg]

it says in the vid description that their name is noriko... thats a girls name

[Desiree1217]

Says friend OF Noriko.

[gengoro1]

barnstorming troupe

[illnesillusion]

It might be boring if you don't understand the lyrics and the story the dance is telling. Believe me, it's nearly impossible to move in that ensemble.

[transferXmofts]

She's so pretty

I love the kimono she's wearing

(:

This was a good performance

[Joneses65]

she's a he

[ouano1]

what??

[Joneses65]

all kabuki actors are males...and the female aprts are played by men

[otaconas]

man ! japanese people have never forgot theire wonderfull tradition

[scrmblakulascrm]

@otaconas Their culture and traditions was never strip from them like so many other cultures. It is wonderful that the Japanese people still maintain and practice their traditions....BEAUTIFUL!

[NAVEMAN3]

@otaconas You should see the Chinese. They just AS wonderful.

[running4evawildblurr]

the guy in the background sounds like he's dieing.

[Cyber64]

dieing? lol

[demonkitty3427]

hmmm... im trying to find something like this, but a bit more fast paced... can anyone help me?

[chouxchan]

demonkitty3427

try watching sth w/ taichi saotome :) he is asuper beautiful and really talented onnagata.

I personally like his "sakura dance" best, and prayer of 1000 years is good too =)

[Joneses65]

Bando Tamasaburo V is the best out there, I think...

[NejiSupreme]

Her Kimono is very beautiful, one of my personal favorites out of all the videos I have watched. The dance was also quite graceful. This women is very very skilled.

[tisalew]

@NejiSupreme

if this is a kabuki play, which i believe it is. then the dance is a man, not a woman.

[YoYoSlowmo]

@tisalew he or she does look masculine.

[xxHartBrokenxx]

@tisalew To make this all clear, this is a piece called "The dancing girl at the temple" It's kabuki buyo which is a mix of Japanese traditional dance with kabuki influences,the dance can be danced by a woman and is a solo performance that lasts for an hour. If you want to know more about this piece type nihon buyo in the search bar at youtube. you will find a documentary about nihon buyo somewhere where they tell you about this piece and the different kinds of Nihon buyo I hope this helps! c:

[halfrek]

@NejiSupreme I do believe this is a Kabuki actor, which means it is in fact a man. He specializes in Female character role playing

[dogyearrex]

ok i know this is stupid but is this one kind of "kabuki"? or you just call it... a dance? how would you categorize this performance?

[FranzFerdinandrocks]

well musume dojoji is a Kabuki play, adapted from a similar Noh play and I'm quite sure this is a segment of it.

[Joneses65]

An Onagata Dance

[jafar7523629]

something from 2000 years back

awesome

[mansan1000]

beautiful!!!

[rednerin69]

such a beautiful dance and music.

[nakturne]

"Kyo-Ganoko Musume Doujyouji" is a dance that is composed in the "Nagauta" style. The dance requires great skill and is quite challenging as you can see. The story of the dance is unrequieted love. The young maiden, in her sorrow and frustration is transformed into a vengeful demon-spirit that posseses the temple bell (you can kinda see it in the upper corner).

[brianbry93]

So is this the maiden in the story (which the abbot tells) or the dancer who gets trapped at the beggining of the play?

[nakturne]

Yes, the dancer is playing the part of the maiden.

[brianbry93]

Thanks i'm doing the play as part of my GCSE Art :P

[Miyuki1Miyahara614]

love the traditional kimono

[SilenceYouBeast]

What a beautiful kimono

[evangeline95]

They Often dance in a shrine ?

[thegnew]

she looks so much like a doll. id thought she was one if she wasnt moving.

[osbourn15]

I love Dojoji Musume, especially when the actor dances on the bell.

[darthwigz]

She almost did not look human, it was very good.

Thanks for the upload.