Pop Japan

Dance can be a mirror of the story of the people performing it. Of course, Japan is not excluded. 

In the early times, dance was used to appease the gods, to drive out demons, and to tell myths. Japanese folk dances were used in festivals and rituals in Shintoism and Buddhism. As early as 300-710 AD, figurines of Japanese dancers and costume artifacts were discovered. Meanwhile in 800 AD there were harvest dances and a ritual calling of the sun.  Many of these traditional dances, which are often subfixed -odori, -asobi, and -mai, and they may be specific to a region or village. 

Watch the video to see a refreshing take on Japanese folk dance. 

Tags: Japanese Traditional Dance, Japanese folk dance, Shintoism, Buddhism, japanese dancers, costume artifact