There are not many things university students are willing to do on a Monday – but quite a few attendees arrived to the Pegasus Ballroom early on Nov. 9 to get some cultural awakening that morning.
The University of Central Florida’s very own College of Arts and Humanities held a demonstration from the Wakayama Performance Group of a Japanese Lion Dance.
This traditional dance – also known as “Edo Satokagura,” has been around for generations as a form of storytelling and also provides an influence on many of Japan’s other performing arts.
The first performance introduced an interesting character to the audience – one who wore the mask of a man on one side, and the mask of a woman on the other. In this dance called “Ryōmen Odori”(two-sided dance), the lone dancer alternates between the man and the woman by turning around at certain moments. When the woman’s mask was facing the audience, there was a composed, yet playful feeling to it; the woman you were seeing was open to others and willing to show off her talents. The man was far more playful, taking a fan that was open at some point and spinning it around on his finger. The male portion of the mask showed his tongue sticking out – almost as if he was being comical for the audience, his smile reaching you as you watched him play around on stage.
Going from a joyful dance to a flute solo – Wakayama Performance Group’s leader, Suzuki Kyōsuke performed a piece about “raging waves crashing against a rock in stormy seas.” The sound of Suzuki’s flute resonated through the hall – at first anyone who did not know the story behind the pitches would not understand why they were so high – but it works perfectly, since the intensity helped picture the strength of nature. It was an ironic strength of sound that measured up to the message it was trying to send.
Edo Bayashi (Edo band) came next, where four performers were spread across three instruments: two were on the Shime daiko (a small drum), one on the Okedou (a large drum) and the final performer played the Shinobue (bamboo flute). This performance is a part of Tokyo Shitamachi area festivals, and the arrangement in comprised of five parts, all representing portions of a festival, from the Yatai (food stalls) to Shouden (entry into the shrine/temples). It was an extravagant suite comprised of varying sounds, sure to get anyone into a festive mood.
The final portion of the event and a perfect way to end it all – with the Edo Kotobukijishi (Edo Lion Dance). Suzuki once again too reign of the stage beneath a lion costume, performing this dance representative of victory and used to dispel bad spirits and bring good luck. The “lion” so to speak, adventured around stage, took a quiet nap and even interacted with the audience as much played, changing dependent on its “mood.” Suzuki’s skill and command of the costume could truly make anyone think they were watching an elegant creature on stage.
Wakayama Performance Group truly gave everyone in attendance a delightful way to start their week, while exposing the UCF community to yet another extravagant culture that is among those in our very own community.
Photo credit: Katherine Ceballos
